Celestial Secrets
by Kairi-kun
Summary: Lucy doesn't meet Natsu first but instead accidentally has a run in with the Thunder God Tribe. Now she's caught the interest of quite a few people. And not all of them are good. Unfortunately, she's also hiding a secret. One that could tear her and her friends apart. Can she be saved or will she be erased from history? **Freed x Lucy**
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters

Whelp, I decided to write a new Fairy Tail fanfiction so read it and review!

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The weathered sign of Jade Town hung overhead as a rather short blonde girl stopped to stare down once more at the map in her hands. Her journey, like most, was with a certain destination already in her crosshairs. Nothing was going to stop her from doing what she wanted. So with that thought in her mind, she continued walking through the streets of the small town that she had stumbled upon. The smells and sounds coming from all around her had the girl smiling serenely; fresh baked bread and the sounds of children's laughter. It was all so unfamiliar to her, but somehow she felt right at home. It was almost like she was meant to be in this place, at this time. Fate _did_ have a strange way of making things happen. Which is what led to the next moment.

"Help! Help! Thieves!" The distressed shouts of a young woman drew the attention of the townspeople and the blonde.

As she turned, she saw a group of ten men running in her direction holding their spoils of war in their meaty hands. Malicious grins spread across their ugly faces, and one drew a dagger to intimidate anyone who attempted to be heroic. Before they could reach her though, the blonde had pulled out something long, thin,black,and leather from the bag resting on her hip. Pulling her hand back, black leather snapped forward and hit the first thief in his forehead. His balance lost, he fell into the three that had been behind him and dropped his knife. The group of thieves were alarmed and skidded to a stop. The young woman found her opening immediately.

Dashing forward at an impressive speed, she pulled out what looked to be four sticks held together by metal. She thrust the arm holding the wooden item out and the parts all came together with a click. Bringing the staff down, she slammed it into the top of the first bandit's head then brought it back around to block the strike from another. She parried each blow easily, and finally the men had grown tired. The blonde,however, wasn't the least bit winded and finished them off with some well placed hits from the staff and her foot. Bringing out a long rope she hogtied the thieves and stepped back to look at them.

"Bitch!" Their leader yelled, gaining a boot to the face courtesy of said bitch.

People surrounded them and started handing out thank you's to the girl who waved off the praise. Anyone in her position would've done the same thing, was what she said. But one older man shook his head at her and explained how they had been having this problem with bandits for almost a year now. It broke the blonde's heart to see such nice people being plagued by such misfortune and no one before her had attempted to help. The blonde accepted the thanks and offered to take the captured bandits to the mayor before she departed.

Looting the thieves of all the stolen items, she tied the bandits hands together before leading them to the office on the other side of town where they were thrown into a makeshift cell until Rune Knights could come pick them up. As she was leaving, the blonde was handed a book filled with information on runes as a way of saying thanks for what she had done. It was a wonderful way of being paid for her services, and she gave a polite bow before slipping out the door. As she was making her way to the pathway out of town, she was stopped by a young brunette.

"Excuse me!" The blonde tilted her head in acknowledgement. "I'm the one who was screaming about the thieves earlier. They stole a bunch of my handmade jewelry from the shop and I was afraid that no one would catch them. So thank you very much!"

She smiled at the brunette. "It was no problem at all, miss."

"I'm Kassidy!" She chirped, her smile widening.

The blonde returned the smile. "I'm Lucy."

"Well then Lucy, as my way of saying thank you, here is one of my latest masterpieces!" Kassidy handed the blonde what was in her hand.

In her hand was one of the most beautiful rings that Lucy had ever seen. It was a delicate silver band with a round lavender stone resting on top. Carved into the silver band were what looked to be leaves and berries. The blonde could feel magic coming from the stone, and it didn't take long to figure out what she was seeing was a lacrima. Running her finger over it, she smiled. Kassidy gently grabbed the ring from the blonde's palm and slipped it onto Lucy's right ring finger. It fit perfectly.

"Perfect fit! It's almost like it was made for you." Kassidy gave her a beaming smile.

Lucy giggled, thinking the same thing. "What are these designs on the band?"

"Poison ivy and blackberries." She winked at her. "That's a poison lacrima so I made the ring's design to match. Do you like it?"

"I love it." And she did. "Thank you so much Kassidy!"

The brunette waved it off and allowed the blonde to continue on her way. A smile adored Lucy's beautiful face as she continued her walking, and every once in awhile she couldn't help but sneak peeks down at her new piece of jewelry. Rings weren't something she normally wore, but this one felt right. And it _was_ a gift. Speaking of gifts, the blonde brushed her fingers over the book of runes resting in her messenger bag. It seemed she was getting all sorts of interesting things today.

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Hours had passed since Lucy had left Jade town. The blonde was sitting upon a small boulder hidden amongst trees and bushes. Small triangular sandwiches sat on a cloth in her lap as she munched on them. She still had another three days till she reached her destination, so she had decided that it was time for a small break.

' _I wonder if there is any small streams that I could freshen up in._ ' Was the only thought that passed through her mind as she continued eating her lunch.

The snap of twigs drew the blonde's attention, and she quickly wrapped her food before storing it back inside her bag. Crouching low, she peered out through the small sliver of space between two bushes. There were three people were standing in the wooded area, far enough off the path that Lucy didn't think they could be up to any good. From the creases in their brows, the blonde analyzed that they were agitated by something or other. Picking up her pack, she started to move carefully along the bushes, hoping that she wouldn't draw the attention of the three people nearby.

 _Thwack_! The sound caused her to whip her head around in time to see a strike of lightning coming towards her. Ducking, she rolled to the side and reached for her whip. But before she could do that, a large man was holding her by the waist. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins and she brought her foot back into his ankle. He grunted and his hold on her slipped. She twisted her body around and slammed her head into the underside of his chin. Pain blossomed in her skull, but at the moment she didn't care. She just needed to free herself.

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Laxus grunted as the blonde struggling in his arms kicked him in the shin. She may be tiny, but she had a good bit of strength in those feet of hers. It was his mistake when his hold loosened his grip and paid the price. The crazy chick in his arms headbutted him underneath his chin causing his teeth to gnash together painfully. Curses spilled from his mouth as she finally broke his hold and darted towards her bag. Before she could though, she was surrounded by rune walls.

"Laxus-sama, are you hurt?!" Freed yelled, worry wafting off of him as he rushed over to the dragon slayer.

He grunted. "I'm fine."

"That was a wicked headbutt she got you with." Bickslow quipped, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

The four heard the blonde inside the runes huff and turned to look at her. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. Heart Shaped face accented by full pink lips and doe-like brown eyes. Her hair was a shade of blonde lighter than Laxus' which made it look like gold. The blonde's body had curves in all the right places; with long legs and an ample chest. The outfit she was wearing only accentuated those curves. A pair of black tights, a dark blue crop top that ended right underneath her chest, and brown ankle boots. A tan trenchcoat finished off the ensemble. Yes, this girl was a beauty. And she was also swearing at them.

"Let me fucking go you jackass!" She yelled, furious that she was being captured by these strange people.

Bickslow laughed. "No can do blondie. You attacked our leader here so we're treating you like a hostile force."

"I attacked _him?!"_ She screeched with outrage. "He was the one who shot _lightning_ at _me_."

Evergreen flicked her fan closed and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the blonde male. "Did you?"

"She was sneaking around behind the bushes watching the three of you." His tone was definitely annoyed, probably from having to explain himself. "What _else_ was I supposed to do?"

"How about asking me what I was doing instead of acting prematurely you bastard!" The trapped blonde suggested,or more like yelled, with an angry frown on her pretty face. "I thought _they_ were more bandits that I hadn't already dealt with!"

All suspicions aside, the group of mages stared at her with dumbfounded expressions. Freed turned to Laxus. "I-I think perhaps we may have jumped the gun on this one."

"You think?!" Quipped the female still surrounded by runes. "Can you let me out now?"

Freed blushed, and removed the wall allowing the blonde to finally let out a sigh of relief alongside another huff of irritation. Kneeling down, she gathered the stuff that had fallen out of her bag during her scuffle with Laxus and shoved them back in the leather pack. Standing up straight, she regarded the group warily. Bickslow gave her a smile, tongue still hanging from his mouth. Noticing the guild mark on the strange man's tongue her eyes widened.

"You guys are from Fairy Tail?"

Laxus nodded. "What's it to you blondie?"

"First: my name is Lucy, not blondie. So please use it, dumbass." She held up one finger then another. "Second: I wouldn't of been so suspicious of you guys had I noticed the guild marks." One more finger was added."Third: I was actually heading to Fairy Tail to join once I finished my other tasks."

They all straightened up when they heard what she had said. None of them were going to deny that the blonde was strong enough to be a mage of Fairy Tail, but what were these other tasks that she was referring to? Laxus cleared his throat, regarding her with a slightly annoyed frown. "You're going the wrong way, you know that right?"

"I just said that I had other tasks to complete before I headed to Fairy Tail, didn't I?" She sassed, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm going to catch a train to Magnolia once I'm finished with my business in Flintwood."

"Flintwood is another three days travel!" Freed informed her, his eyes wide. "Are you planning to travel through this forest all alone?"

At first the blonde thought that he might be suggesting she couldn't handle it by herself, but after a moment she realized that he was just concerned for her safety and wasn't doubting her abilities. "I'll be fine." She assured him. "I've been traveling on my own for almost six months now." There was a bit of shock in their eyes, but she could also still see the concern that the green haired man had for her still. "If you're that worried about me then how about you four come along?"

"And why should we trust you blondie?" Laxus asked, crossing his arms.

She rolled her eyes. "Have I attacked you at all since I was let out of the rune barrier?"

"No." Was his simple response to the question. "But how do we know you won't when we're resting?"

She turned to Freed with an exasperated expression. "Is he always this untrusting?"

"Well you _are_ a stranger." Evergreen answered defensively.

Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes again and just turned around. "Well if you aren't going to give me an answer then I'm going to be on my way. Maybe soon I'll see you guys back at Fairy Tail." She mused, then gave a small wave. "But until then, goodbye."

The blonde didn't turn around to see if they were following her or not. She actually didn't care all that much. All she wanted was to make it to her destination before the item that she was after disappeared for good. She could hear the shuffling behind her and assumed that the group of Fairy Tail mages had decided to join her. Tilting her head a little bit, she looked back and smirked. The large blonde that they called Laxus was downright scowling at her. The green haired one that had been concerned was watching her with unveiled interest. And the other two just seemed to be daydreaming.

"So what are your names?" She finally asked. "I've told you mine but none of you've introduced yourselves."

The green haired man gave a simple polite smile as he introduced himself. "My name is Freed Justine."

"Laxus Dreyar." The blonde grunted, allowing his eyes to flicker towards her then away again.

The woman with the fan answered next. "I'm Evergreen."

"Bickslow." Totems floating around his head. "And these are my babies."

The totems started chanting, "babies" over and over again. The blonde couldn't help but be amused by this. It was obvious from the wooden dolls that he was a Seith mage. From her fight with Laxus should could deduce he used lightning magic and Freed was a rune mage. That only left Evergreen as the unknown. Now her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"So Evergreen, what kind of magic do you use?" The blonde asked.

The woman flicked her fan open and placed it in front of her mouth. "I use the most pure of Fairy magic-"

"What's your magic, Lucy-san?" Freed asked with curiosity, cutting off his teammate before she started ranting.

"Just call me Lucy please." She gave him a sweet smile. "I'm a Celestial Spirit mage."

She watched the surprise on his face when she told him her magic. It was obviously not what he was expecting, and really she didn't doubt that. Her magic was extremely rare, and finding strong ones that have good relationships with their spirits is even harder. As she hadn't even summoned one spirit in the last week, she brushed her hands over her keys from beneath her trench coat. Warmth radiated from them, and she could tell they were pleased with how well she was handling herself right now.

"How rare." Freed stated, biting his lip. "C-Can you show me your magic sometime?"

She raised an eyebrow at him but nodded. Laxus decided to speak up then. "Okay so what the hell is in Flintwood that you _have_ to go there now?"

"A key." She smirked. "A very rare key."

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 _So this is where I end this chapter! Both Jade Town and Flintwood are places that I made up. And yes Lucy is very ooc right now. It'll be explained later and for those who pick up on the possible love interests for Lucy you get a gold star. Now please review, follow, and favorite this story!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaime** r: I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters.

So people are already starting to ship Freed x Lucy, so that might end up being what I decide to do. xD I've always thought that Freed, with his knowledge of magic, would be interested in Lucy because of how rare Celestial Spirit magic is. But this chapter will have a bit of insight into the secret that Lucy's keeping.

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Lucy smiled as she sat down on the grassy hill. Almost six hours of travel and the group of five had finally decided to stop for night. So here she was, at almost midnight, staring up at the stars. Using her index finger, she traced the constellations above her head. It calmed her greatly and it made her feel closer to her spirits. Although she was already a lot closer to them than other celestial spirit mage. And she always would be.

"Lucy?" Glancing forward, she spotted Freed standing a few feet away from her.

She gave the rune mage a once over before beckoning him forward. "Come sit with me Freed."

The Rune mage hesitated for a moment, having seen how peaceful the blonde had looked while sitting alone on the hill. But maybe that was because she was watching the stars. Somehow the beautiful blonde had looked even more radiant with that content smile playing on her lips. Under the moonlight, Lucy looked as if she was glowing. For a moment, Freed had thought he might of been looking at a celestial being. Walking over, he placed himself at her side on the hill.

"Tell me about the constellations." He whispered, knowing the blonde would hear him.

Lucy smiled at the request and started recounting all the stories she had heard over the years. Ancient stories that could only be heard now from celestial beings and then the ones that could be found in books. All the while, Freed was smiling. The blonde sounded truly happy when she talked about the stars. He tilted his head to the side and watched her. The way her eyes lit up when she was talking about something in particular made his smile widen. He could tell that the two of them would be great friends once she was an official member of Fairy Tail.

"I'm sorry if I bored you." Lucy said with an apologetic smile. "I just get so caught up when I'm talking about the stars that I sometimes can't stop myself."

Freed shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Don't apologize. I enjoyed every minute of hearing you talk."

"R-Really?" She asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

The green haired Rune mage's smile widened. "Really."

Lucy and Freed fell into a comfortable silence as they watched the sky turn orange and pink with the rising sun. The blonde didn't mind staying up all night but she felt a tad guilty had Freed had too. Though it seemed that the green haired mage hadn't minded one bit. Butterflies erupted in the blonde's stomach, and she inwardly cursed. She was _not_ going to start crushing on this man just because he listened to her talk about the stars once.

"We should return before my teammates wake up." Came Freed's soft suggestion, which she agreed with.

Rising from her spot, the blonde followed the mage back to where their three companions were sleeping. Laxus was as still as a statue, one of his arms thrown over his eyes. Bickslow was sleep talking, muttering about something about his babies, much to Lucy's amusement. Evergreen, well she was laying with one arm tucked underneath her head and the other held against her chest. Lucy watched Freed rustle around in his bag for his clothes and couldn't help but bite her lip. The man was definitely gorgeous. Especially with his hair pulled up in a ponytail and wearing that loose black tank top. Heat rose to her cheeks when she realized she was openly gawking at him. It was a damn good thing his back was to her because she suspected she must resemble a tomato about now.

Grabbing her own clothes, Lucy made her way behind some trees to get dressed. Slipping off the pink silk tank top and shorts combo she quickly placed her arms over her chest and glanced around before she started dressing. She pulled on the pair of dark washed jean shorts and tight black muscle shirt she had grabbed hastily. As an afterthought, she put on her tan trench coat as well. Stepping out. Lucy noticed that Freed was close by. His hands were working on buttoning up the white dress shirt he seemed to always wear. This gave her a nice view of his muscular torso which caused her bite her lip. She really _was_ a sucker for an intelligent, handsome man.

Shaking her head, she walked back over to the trio of sleeping mages. Looking at the sky, the blonde sighed once and started nudging Laxus with her foot. He growled once but didn't move. She nudged him again. This time, however, she found herself on the ground with the blonde lightning mage hovering over her. "Never wake me up like that again."

She raised an eyebrow at him mockingly. "Or what?"

"Or I'll fry your cute little ass." He snarled, quickly moving off her.

Before she could say anything in retaliation, someone cleared their throat. It was, of course, Freed, and he looked a little uncomfortable. Laxus grunted and grabbed his black pants and a purple muscle shirt from his pack. Before anyone could say anything, he actually just pulled his sleep pants off and started dressing in front of them. Freed flushed and whipped around to look at a tree. Lucy, however, just stared at the blonde mage with a raised eyebrow.

"Didn't know you were an exhibitionist Laxus." She quipped, smirking when he glared at her.

He scowled at her. "I'm not Gray blondie."

"Who's Gray?" She asked curiously.

A new voice joined in the conversation. "Gray's an Ice-make mage from our guild. He's got a habit of stripping his clothes off without noticing."

"Sounds like a fun talent." Lucy snickered, imagining what kind of guy this Gray person was. "Oh and good morning Bickslow."

His only response was another one of his weird tongue smiles. The commotion had apparently woken up Evergreen because she whacked Bickslow with her fan. The brunette groped around in her green bag for her clothes then disappeared somewhere to get dressed. Bickslow, unlike Laxus, also decided to go dress behind a tree. With all them ready, the group of five continued on their way to Flintwood.

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A couple hours had passed since the group had set out for the town to get Lucy's new key. You could tell by looking at them that only three of them were actually enjoying the journey. Those people were Lucy, Freed, and Bickslow. The blonde's smile hadn't disappeared at all as she talked about Fairy Tail with the two mages on either side of her. The Seith mage was giving her the rundown of all the prominent guild members while the greenette to her left would every once in awhile tell her about personality quirks that each of them had.

"So he really _can_ eat fire?" She asked with amusement.

Bickslow guwaffed. "Eat and breathe it."

"Now I kind of want to meet him." She grinned impishly.

Freed was giving her an amused smile, and Bickslow was grinning alongside her. Every once in awhile, the blonde's hand would brush up against the man to her left's. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she glanced at the green haired mage. There was a hint of pink to his cheeks too. She felt her lips pull back into a smile, and glanced behind them where the other two Fairy Tail mages were. Evergreen was flushed, probably since it was probably about seventy five degrees outside. Laxus was just downright scowling at the ground as he walked. This caused the blonde to roll her eyes. He was so grumpy!

"So who's the current guildmaster of Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked.

Freed gave a wry smile. "Makarov Dreyar. Laxus-sama's grandfather."

"He's the master's grandson?" Lucy asked incredulously. "Mister grumpy pants back there?"

Bickslow barked out a laugh. "Yup, he's master's grandson." "Grandson!Grandson!" Chanted the dolls around the Seith mage's head.

Lucy glanced back,locking eyes with her fellow blonde. He was downright glaring at her again. Wrinkling her nose, she turned back around to watch where she was going. Another three hours went by without any problems when they all noticed a small town coming up in front of them. The sign was so worn down that they couldn't read it. Smells of fresh baked goods wafted towards them from the open door of a nearby bakery. As if on cue, three stomachs growled. Freed's face turned bright red, Laxus scowled, and Bickslow gave a nervous laugh.

"Hungry boys?" Lucy asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.

Evergreen smirked. "I guess we better get some food in their bellies."

The group walked into the nearest diner and took a seat. Looking through the menu they all decided what they wanted. After a moment a cute bluenette waitress came bouncing up to them with a huge smile on her face. "Welcome! What can I get for you today?"

"Five of the specials." Laxus stated simply.

The girl nodded quickly and scurried off before the blonde could make her even more uncomfortable. Lucy resisted the urge to kick the rude man underneath the table. There was no reason to scare that girl half to death. That, and he ordered for her. Which she _hates._ It reminded her too much of how high class society treated her. Like she shouldn't have a say in what she wants. It was one of the many reasons she left that all behind.

"So how about we get to know each other?" Evergreen suggested, glancing at Lucy. "After all, we don't know much about you, Lucy."

The blonde let a smirk play on her lips. "And what do you want to know?"

"Where are you from?" Bickslow asked. "Where! Where!" His babies chanted afterwards.

Lucy stiffened,"I can't really tell you that."

"Why the hell not blondie?" Laxus asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

The blonde clenched her fists from beneath the table. "It's not safe to talk about my past to the wrong people. That's all I'm going to say on the subject. Now next question."

Freed cleared his throat. "How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen." Lucy answered, giving the man a grateful look- happy that he changed the subject.

Evergreen tapped her chin with the fan in her hand. "How did you learn Celestial Spirit magic, and what is it exactly?"

"Celestial spirit magic is the use of keys like these," She pulled out the gold zodiac key, "to summon creatures/spirits from the Celestial Spirit world to fight. It's not a particularly strong magic but it is rare." She smiled sadly, tucking the key back into it's place. "My mother was a Celestial Spirit mage, and when she passed I inherited her keys."

They could all see the sadness in her brown eyes when she mentioned her mother. From that look alone, they knew to drop the subject. An uncomfortable silence fell over the table, making everyone tense. But a moment later the bluenette waitress was returning with a silver platter filled with food. She set down the food in front of Lucy and Evergreen. "Here you go ladies." They thanked her. She placed another plate in front of Bickslow and Laxus with smiles. "And here is yours." Finally she laid the last plate in front of Freed. "Here's your food handsome."

Freed's face flushed when the waitress called him handsome. He wasn't used to getting such praise. Lucy, however, was a little agitated with the blatant flirting with Freed. She didn't understand why she felt that way though. Frustrated, she pushed the omelet around on her plate with her fork a little. Evergreen smirked, having realized what was upsetting the blonde.

" _Well, well, well, looks like Freed has an admirer."_ Evergreen thought, taking a bite of her food to hide her smile. " _He could do worse."_

It didn't take long for the group to finish eating. As they were leaving the waitress handed Freed her number, much to the irritation of the blonde, and she was all the more ready to complete this journey. The Lightning Dragon Slayer, who was walking alongside her, was privy to the blonde's growing irritation and made note of it. Bickslow, Freed, and Evergreen trailed behind the two blondes, talking quietly.

"Freed, do you like Lucy?" Evergreen asked, flicking her fan out in front of her face.

The greenette blinked in confusion. "Yes, don't you?"

"That's not what I meant." The brunette groaned.

Bickslow gave a hearty laugh at the confusion on his teammates face. "I think she wants to know if you have a _crush_ on blondie!"

"W-What?" Freed's face turned bright red. "W-Why do you want to know that?!"

Evergreen smirked. "The two of you get along so well and she seemed to get a little jealous when that cute waitress was hitting on you."

"You're imagining things!" Freed hissed, his face becoming so red that it resembled a tomato.

Bickslow and Evergreen laughed at their teammate's growing embarrassment. They both knew that Freed wasn't really good with women, so he didn't interact with many of them. But somehow Lucy had wormed her way into their normally stone faced friend's heart for him to become this flustered adolescence once more. The two looked at each other with amusement, silently agreeing on one thing. _He could do worse._

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 _Yeah, so this is where I'm going to end this chapter. Love it? Hate it? Neutral? Review and tell me what you think._

 _I know I'm going a bit fast with the romance between Freed and Lucy but I'll tell you this- Something big is going to happen that will cause a rift between them and everyone else soon. Next chapter will probably mark their arrival at Flintwood, and Lucy gaining her new key. And I know everyone is wondering: Will Lucy still be saving Loke? Yes, yes she will._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters

So I'm really surprised with how much people are actually enjoying this story. So many people are shipping Freed x Lucy, which honestly surprised me the most! It's such an unpopular crack ship considering how he acts in the anime, and the obvious bias with "canon" couples. What I mean by that is, that so many people get angry when they see posts about crack ships and whatnot because they think "canon" means that you aren't allowed to ship anything else. That's my biggest issue with this fandom, but I guess that's what fanfiction is for! Anyway this is the end of the journey to Flintwood and this is where the trouble starts.

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The sign for Flintwood hung overhead of the group of five. Excitement bubbled up in the pit of the blonde's stomach, and she practically was bouncing on the ball of her heels. She was finally going to get the key that she had been tracking down for nearly a year. The Thunder God Tribe stared at the blonde with a little bit of amusement. They could tell how happy she was by the huge grin on her pretty face. Freed, standing behind her, was curious if she would allow him to watch her form her contract with the new spirit. But he shook that off for now as they had to _find_ the shop first,which didn't take too long considering the blonde had already been to Flintwood once before.

Walking down the road, Lucy noticed that the visor wearing Seith mage, who had been walking alongside her for some time now, had been rather quiet since they had entered town. To her it seemed a bit unusual for him to be silent which had her shifting a little uncomfortably. Looking back up at him through the corner of her eyes a thought popped into her head. ' _How did Bickslow come to join Fairy Tail? And the same with Evergreen and Freed. How did they end up as the grumpy lightning mages teammates?'_ As usual her curiosity got the better of her. Clearing her throat, she addressed the tall man to her right. "So how long have you been apart of your team, Bix?"

"Quite a few years." The Seith mage sounded taken back by the question as he responded. "Do you want to hear the story about _how_ I joined, blondie?"

She brightened at the question. "Sure!"

"Nuh-uh!" Bickslow smirked, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, as he wagged his finger at her. "If you want to know then you have to give me a _kiss_."

"Kiss!Kiss!" Chanted Bickslow's "babies" as they floated around the two of them.

Lucy snorted, gently pushing the man away from her. "I don't want to know _that_ bad!"

"Your loss!" He bellowed out as his expression momentarily softening. "But I guess I'll tell you anyway."

 **Flashback:**

 _It was a rainy afternoon in the small town of Belur (a really tiny town outside of Hargeon) and unlike most residents, who were hiding inside from the storm, there was one young man who was pacing the streets. He was tall with shaggy unkempt dark blue hair. His clothes were tattered and hung off his large form. Clutched in his hands was a small, round, wooden totem that looked as beat up as it's owner. This kid's name? Bickslow. No family and no last name._

 _Bickslow dragged his feet as he continued walking through the desolate streets. His hands shook along with his legs from pain. Pitching forward, he fell and the totem went flying out of his hands. It rolled down the road as the bluenette laid flat on his stomach in a large puddle. Tears fell down from his bang covered eyes, mixing with the rain that was still falling on him. The sound of footsteps coming towards him had him struggling to lift his head._

 _Standing before him, holding his totem, was a blonde that looked to be the same age as him. All he could do was stare at him, but within moments his vision blurred and he slumped back down into the puddle. Laxus sighed, tucking the wooden statue into his bag, and leaned down to pick the bluenette up. Carrying him to his hotel room, he dropped him on the unoccupied bed. As an afterthought, he placed the round, wooden trinket next to the bluenette on the pillow. Because of his dragon slayer senses, he could smell the rather strong magic from the young man that he had saved. He was going to form a team and this person would be the first recruit._

 _A groan brought his attention back to his "guest". "Are you awake?"_

" _W-Where am I?" Bickslow asked, struggling to sit up. "And who the hell are you?"_

 _Snorting the blonde leaned back against the headboard of his own bed. "My name's Laxus Dreyar and I'm a mage of the guild Fairy Tail. Right now you're in my hotel room after I dragged your ass here after you passed out in that puddle."_

" _Fairy Tail?" The bluenette muttered, then asked curiously. "So why did you save me?"_

 _The blonde ran one hand through his spiky locks. "I'm forming a team and I need strong members. You have powerful magic so I'm offering you the first position."_

" _I don't know," Bickslow trailed off, his expression becoming wary._

 _Laxus gave him a knowing look. "Fairy Tail will give you room and board for free until you've earned enough to start paying for yourself."_

 _Hearing this, Bickslow felt like he had no choice but to accept. So with that in mind he nodded to the blonde. It wasn't his first choice, but this guy had saved him and was offering him a home. He'd never had a home. Both his parents had disappeared when he was just a toddler, leaving him with just one thing; the wooden totem that sat beside him. It was all he had from them, and he treasured it. That was why he started learning Seith magic, so that he could use his parents gift in battle._

" _What's your name?" Laxus asked, crossing his arms over his chest._

 _The bluenette shifted uncomfortably. "Bickslow. Just Bickslow."_

" _Well Bickslow, welcome to the Thunder God Tribe."_

 **End of Flashback**

"And that's how it happened." Bickslow's voice became a little quieter as he gauged the blonde's reaction.

The blonde felt a lump form in her throat at the memory. She knew the world could be a cruel place, but for someone as cheerful as Bickslow to have been so beaten down it made her stomach churn. Seeing the expression on her face, Bickslow looped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. The friendly gesture made her smile, and she leaned a little bit into him as they continued walking. Somehow it felt as though she had found herself a new best friend. Something that she hadn't had since she was a young child with her mother. _She would've liked Bickslow._ The blonde's thoughts darkened but she shook it off. No use dwelling on the past. Even if it was haunting her.

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Ten minutes more of walking and the group had finally arrived at their destination. _**Frenzies Fabled Finds**_ was painted in large bubble letters on the window of the shop. Excitedly, the blonde pushed open the door and grinned. Shelves of trinkets lined the rather spacious shop. Books, potions, knick knacks, and etc. Directly across the room was a wooden desk with a young man, around Lucy's age with light brown hair, sitting behind it. Noticing the people in the doorway, he waved.

"Kazuma!" Lucy chirped, walking fast to the desk. "Is my key here?"

The man, now known as Kazuma, laughed at her enthusiasm. "Yup! I kept it behind the desk just for you. We also got those books and poisons that you were looking for."

"Really?! That's great!" She sighed happily. "So how much do I owe you?"

The brunette waved off the question. "Consider this payment for that job I had you do a few months back."

"C'mon, it wasn't _that_ difficult of a job." The blonde huffed. "At least let me pay you half."

Kazuma relented with a sigh. "Fine, fine. You owe me 40,000 jewels then."

Digging out the jewels from her bag, she dropped them onto the counter. Counting them up Kazuma smiled and handed over her purchases. The box was filled to the brim with different items. Three thick books, seven bottles of mysterious liquid (most likely poisons), and one silver gate key laying on top. Lucy picked the box up in her arms and gave a farewell to the salesman as the group made their exit.

"So why did you buy poisons?" Evergreen asked, arching one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows.

The blonde tilted her head to look at her. "I have a friend who likes to barter for them. Sometimes he gives me books and other times he's actually given me information on rare gate keys."

The answer seemed to satisfy the curiosity of the Thunder God Tribe for the time being. What she hadn't mentioned though was that her "friend" was a black market dealer that she met during her first month of traveling. That information was better left unsaid. Smirking, she led the group to a small grassy field that went on into the forest.

"So Freed, you said you wanted to see me form a contract right?" The greenette nodded vigorously. "Well now you are!" Grabbing the silver gate key, she lifted it and started chanting: " **Open Gate of the Hydra*, Hidora*!"**

A silver light surrounded the area in front of them, making the group, sans Lucy, squint. A loud hiss brought their attention back in front of them. All their hearts leapt into their throats when they caught sight of the spirit. It was a giant serpent, nearly sixteen feet long, that was curled up with it's head leaning down to stare at them. It's forest green scales glinted in the sunlight. Lucy smiled brightly at the reptile. Reaching up, she waited for the serpent's approval, before placing her hand on it's head.

"It's nice to meet you Hidora!" Lucy chirped, giving her new spirit a friendly smile. "I'm sure that one of my spirits already told you that I was looking for your key."

"Yesss they did." She, at least it sounded like a she, responded. "They ssspeak very highly of you."

The blonde's eyes lit up. "My name's Lucy and I look forward to working with you."

"Likewissse," The snake hissed. "Call me whenever you wish."

In another burst of light, the hydra spirit disappeared. The Thunder God Tribe gaped at the blonde who was grinning impishly. Her eyes glinted as she strapped the key onto the loop with the rest of them. Freed gasped when he noticed the light catch on her gold zodiac keys. His eyes were wide with wonder, and she felt her heart flutter. Someone was actually interested in her magic and that made her very happy.

"Let's go find somewhere to stay for the night." Lucy suggested, gently placing the rest of the contents of her box in the pack on her hip. The four Fairy Tail mages agreed and they walked around until they found a small inn. Laxus requested two rooms: One for the boys and the other for the girls. The woman behind the desk handed him two keys and he tossed one to Lucy. The boys watched as the girls disappear into their own room. When they were gone Laxus turned to Freed and Bickslow. "We need to talk."

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Laxus lead his two teammates back to the field where they watched Lucy contract her new spirit. Neither Bickslow nor Freed knew what Laxus needed to talk to them about but by the look on his face they knew it was serious. Stopping, the blonde man turned back around to look at the other two men. His eyes narrowed dangerously and his nostrils flared.

"Neither of you two are to get any closer to Lucy, got it?" His demand made both gape at him.

Bickslow was the first to recover from his shock. "Why can't we get closer to her?"

"I've decided to make her my woman." Laxus declared, watching the surprise that appeared on both boys faces. "She's strong and I _need_ a strong woman. So if either of you have feelings for her then let it go because she belongs to me now."

Freed felt his heart clench but nodded. "If that is what you wish then I-I'll avoid her from now on."

"What the fuck?!" Bickslow's eyes became angry. "You can't just decide on your own that Lucy's yours! She might not even like you!"

Laxus straightened his spine and regarded the bluenette with a scowl. "I'll court her then. Show her that I'm the only man for her."He watched the expression on Bickslow's face darken before he just turned and walked away.

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

With his babies in tow, the bluenette stomped his way back to the inn to talk to Lucy. No way was he going to let Laxus dictate what he could and couldn't do. The blonde amused him greatly, and he knew Freed really liked her. That was something that was mutual, and Bickslow hoped that with his interference it wouldn't cause a rift between him and his team leader. Shaking his head, he pushed aside that feeling and knocked on the girl's door. Lucy opened it, her expression portraying her surprise.

"Bix? What are you doing at our door?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.

The bluenette sucked in a breath then cleared his throat. "Can I talk to you alone?"

"Evergreen, I'll be back in a few minutes!" She hollered over her shoulder then followed him out into the hall. "Where should we talk?"

"Back alley." He instructed, leading her out. "There's something that I need to tell you."

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Lucy was furious. No, furious didn't even come close to describing what she was feeling. She was livid. After hearing Bickslow recount the conversation that him and Freed had with Laxus she started searching for the two mages. Bickslow had elected to go take a walk so that his team leader didn't get after him when she confronted them. Both Fairy Tail mages were about to walk into the inn when they saw the blonde walking towards them. She was downright scowling at the two.

"Bickslow told me about your ' _conversation'_." She hissed through her clenched teeth. "I'm highly annoyed that you _think_ that you can just claim me without even consulting me! I'm not some prize to be won, you dumbass! I'm a living, breathing human being, and I am in charge of my own fate!"

The words pouring out of her mouth were similar to the ones she had wished she'd yelled at her father years ago. He'd thought that he could just tell her what to do and hadn't even bothered to ask her how she _felt_. The pent up anger that she held towards her father was super charging her anger at Laxus and Freed. Angry tears were building up at the corner of her eyes as she sucked in sharp breaths.

She regarded Freed with the same anger. "You! How could you just give in to his demands like that?! How could you not even consider _my_ feelings?! Are you so thoughtless that you would just go along with whatever he says?! That's just pathetic!"

Freed flinched at the words, and for a moment the blonde wanted to apologize. But she pushed aside the feeling and just walked to her own room. Slamming the door as she did so. She rubbed away the tears that were still in her eyes and gave Evergreen, who was staring at her in surprise. With a small apologetic smile Lucy grabbed her bag and disappeared into the bathroom for a nice hot shower.

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Hours had passed since Lucy's confrontation with Freed and Laxus in the hallway. Her anger hadn't diminished in the least bit and she didn't think she could stay with them anymore. Quickly, she packed her stuff back into her bag and took out a notepad to leave a note for Evergreen.

 _Dear Ever,_

 _I'm sorry that I suddenly left without saying goodbye to you or Bickslow, but when I came in last night I had just fought with both Freed and Laxus. I didn't want to leave but I don't feel comfortable being near either of them right now. I caught the late night train to Noir and am going to finish my journey to Fairy Tail on my own. I hope that you will not be too mad at me the next time we meet._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lucy_

Nodding her head with approval, she placed it on the end of her bed. Tip toeing, she disappeared out the door. The halls of the inn were quiet, and she practically held her breath as she passed the boys room. Satisfied when she was outside, she took off in a sprint towards the train station. The cool air made her heated skin feel good. She arrived and made her way to the ticket booth where the lady handed her the slip of paper as she passed her some jewels. Boarding the train, she didn't have to wait more than a few minutes before it started moving. From the window, she watched as Flintwood disappeared from sight. Tears started slipping down her cheeks, and she furiously wiped them away with her sleeve. _No use crying over them again._ Closing her eyes, she pushed away all the stress from the day and allowed her body some much needed rest.

 _UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU_

 _So I decided to do a BixLu friendship, because all the stories that I've seen that have Lucy with the Thunder God Tribe have her being besties with Evergreen or Freed but I think her personality fits with Bickslow's really well. Well now there is some background on the lovable perverted Seith mage._

 _*Hydra is a spring constellation just south of the zodiac that's said to resemble a serpent._

 _*Hidora means hydra in japanese_

 _So, some of you are probably wondering what's going to happen now, and I'll give you a hint: It has something to do with one of our other favorite Fairy Tail perverts :P Well next chapter will be out in the next week so look out for it._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters._

 _Double chapter update! So, last chapter probably brought on a lot of questions so I'll explain a few things. Laxus, at the beginning, was kind of an asshat to everyone, and especially Lucy. Remember when he said he would only protect her from Phantom Lord if she became his woman? That's how his attitude right now is, but he will eventually come around to the fact that she doesn't like him like that. And the thing with Freed will be explained this chapter. You know, why he's so obsessed with Laxus and doesn't go against what he wants. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!_

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Lucy slowly opened her eyes, groaning when the morning sun hit them, and sat up. The train was steadily coming to a stop, and she couldn't have been more relieved. Train rides were more convenient, but they were very uncomfortable to sleep on. Stretching, she grabbed her bag and exited onto the platform. Because of the early hour there weren't many people around. This made moving around a lot easier as she trotted along the sidewalk towards the nearest diner. It _had_ been hours since she had last eaten anything. Finding one, she ducked inside and took a seat at the first available table.

Inwardly she grimaced as she noticed the similarities to the place she ate at with the Thunder Legion a couple days before. Reaching onto her hip, she unclipped her keyring and placed it down on the table next to her. Her fingertips brushed over Aquarius' key, and it steadily glowed. She knew that was the mermaid's way of telling her to cheer up or, in Aquarius's own words, she would drown the bastard that dared to make Lucy feel bad. It made her laugh when the temperamental spirit went off on one of her tirades about how Lucy should be respected. She loved her spirits. They were like her own little family.

"Miss, what may I get for you?" Her eyes snapped up to look at the waitress as she placed her keys in her bag.

Lucy looked down at the menu real quick then closed it. "I'd love a glass of orange juice with some bacon and eggs please."

"Coming right up!" The blonde waitress chirped as she disappeared into the back, menu in hand.

Leaning back, Lucy recalled the events of the last few days. She'd never expected to run into Fairy Tail mages on her way to Flintwood. And she especially didn't expect to get attacked by one. Somehow the thought kind of amused her. Then her talk with Freed had given her something that she didn't realize she was lacking. Romance. All she ever wanted was to be strong like her mother and complete the tasks that she had on her plate. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought that she would end up crushing on someone she just met. The greenette was sweet to her and he'd shown a lot of interest in her magic, which was usually seen as rather weak, which had excited her. Then Laxus had to decide that he wanted her. She was flattered, really, but she'd had her life decided once by her father and she wasn't going to do that again.

While she mused on this, the waitress had returned and placed her order in front of her. She gave a polite smile to the woman and dug into the food. It tasted heavenly after having survived on rations and small sandwiches for the last couple weeks (besides that day with the Thunder Legion). While she was eating, a young man with orange hair and wearing a green jacket had made his way into the diner. Seeing the cute blonde all alone, he slipped into the seat across from her. Lucy glanced up at him and narrowed her eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked after she finished swallowing her food.

He gave a very charming smile. "My name's Loke, and I'm a mage from the amazing Fairy Tail."

Lucy's face went totally blank at the response. Another Fairy Tail mage? She wanted to laugh, but thought better of it. Though, she relented, this one seemed a little screwy in the head. A weird feeling came over her as she locked eyes with the man called Loke. It almost felt like the two of them had met before. From the look in his eyes, he was having the same sense of Deja vu that she was. The two of them continued staring at each other, the staring contest being broken by the waitress clearing her throat.

"Would you like something to eat sir?" She asked politely.

He gave another charming smile. "Yes, I would. I'll have some eggs, toast, and your number."

"C-Coming right up!" The girl's cheeks turned bright red and she scurried off once more.

Lucy was amused by this interaction and just shook her head. Her hand dropped down onto her keys, and she felt them become uncomfortably hot under her touch. Why? She furrowed her brows and gently ran her index finger over Crux's key. Should she summon him to answer her questions? Leaning back, she gripped them tightly in both hands. Something was making her spirits uncomfortable, and she was going to find out what it was. Looking up, her eyes locked once more with the orange haired man's.

"So what's your name beautiful?" He asked smoothly, placing his chin on his hands.

The blonde quirked a brow at him. "Lucy."

"Lucy~" He practically purred, making her bite her lip to keep from laughing. "A gorgeous name for a gorgeous woman."

She smirked at him. "You know if you keep flirting with all these women you're never going to find love."

"Maybe I just did." He replied coolly.

She couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. "You're an interesting guy, Loke."

"I get that a lot." He smiled, a real smile instead of his normal flirtation one. "So what brings you here today?"

The blonde smiled. "I'm actually on my way to join Fairy Tail."

"Really?" The momentary surprise disappeared and his smile widened. "Then I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

"I guess so." She responded, tilting her head to the side to observe him.

The feeling of Deja vu hadn't disappeared, and it was honestly bugging her. When had she ever met someone like him? Never, from what she could remember. Then there was the weird heat that had come from her keys when he sat down. Was he possibly-? Could he be-? Her head spun with the multiple scenarios that her mind had conjured up. Maybe he was a Celestial Spirit mage? No, too uncommon. That left a more unlikely reason. He was a Celestial Spirit himself. She tossed that idea immediately. She knew quite a bit about the constellations and there were no spirits called Loke. Anyway, that would mean that he needed his summoner to be nearby and,from what she could see, they were the only ones inside the diner. Picking up her keys she looked back up at the orange haired man.

He was staring at her keys, eyes wide and complexion pale. "I-I think I have to go."

Quickly, he stood up and made his way to the front of the diner. Dropping some jewels on the counter, he practically ran from the establishment. Both the waitress and Lucy watched him go with shock. What exactly had she done to make him run away? Paying for her own meal, the blonde left the diner in search of Loke. Something about the way he looked when he ran off had concerned her. But how was she supposed to find him when he could be halfway out of town by now? Groaning, she started her search.

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Back in Flintwood, both Freed and Laxus were being berated by Evergreen. When she woke up to find that note left to her by Lucy she'd burst into the guy's room and proceeded to forcibly wake them all up. Shoving the note in their faces, she demanded to know what the two had done to make the blonde girl ditch them so late at night. When they responded, she practically screeched loud enough to wake the entire hallway. She was downright pissed.

"How could you say something so _stupid_?!" She demanded, staring at Laxus. "How about asking her out instead of just deciding on your own that she's _yours?_!"

Laxus grunted angrily, "I've claimed her and _will_ have her whether she likes it or not!"

"You!" The brunette turned to the shirtless Freed,ignoring Laxus for the moment. "How could _you_ hurt her _feelings_ like this? She likes you and you just push her away for _him?_!"

Freed flinched at the words. He didn't think Lucy had really felt anything more than friendship for him so hearing that she liked him made his heart clench. But both girls didn't understand why he acted the way he did with Laxus. And it had started back when he was first asked to join Fairy Tail.

 **Flashback**

 _The Justine family was a group of wealthy merchants. The two sons,Freed and Lawrence, were raised as prim and proper gentleman. Neither ever stepped out of line for fear of being reprimanded by their father, Reginald Justine. It was a lonely existence for both boys but neither had the courage to go against what he wanted for them. But Freed had gained a secret love for runes after seeing a traveling mage use them. Every night before he went to bed he would study them. Soon, he could effectively write and utilize them. But with this magic came longing. He wanted to join a guild so he could continue to practice his passion._

 _The first time he brought them up he was immediately berated for having an interest outside of his family's trade. The second time he was struck across the face. It had shocked him and his father, after realizing what he had done, apologized. The action had caused him to fear his father a little and every time he heard Reginald raise his voice he flinched, waiting to be slapped again. But one night he was brought into his father's office later than he normally worked._

" _I'm going to give you two options." Reginald explained, his lips in a firm line. "Either you give up this rune nonsense or you give up your family."_

 _Freed was shocked. "What d-do you mean by give up my family?"_

" _If you choose that option then I will disown you from the family." His father answered curtly. "You will never see myself, your mother, or Lawrence ever again. Your inheritance will go to your brother and you will be given an hour to pack whatever you want then you have to leave."_

 _Freed stared at his father with an expression of pain. Both options sounded dreadful to the greenette but he understood that his father wouldn't let him leave without an answer. Either he turns his back on his dreams or his family. An impossible decision. Tears trickled down his pale cheeks and he inhaled deeply. As he released the breath he stood up straight and met his father's eyes._

" _I'll be gone within the hour."_

 _Returning to his room, he grabbed the nearest suitcase and started packing. Clothes and his books on runes. Then he made his way to the kitchen and grabbed some small snacks for his journey. Both his mother and Lawrence watched him with teary eyes. Neither had thought that Freed would actually choose the second option and disappear. And as promised, Freed had walked out the door in forty minutes flat. He didn't dare look back as he made it to the front gate. Pushing it open, he walked out into the night._

 _Days had passed and Freed was lost. In his haste to leave his home he had forgotten to grab a map. Flopping down onto a park bench, he laid his head in his hands. The pain of having left behind his family was still eating him but he didn't regret his decision. This was his life! Footsteps approached so he lifted his head. A blonde with spiky hair and orange eyes was walking towards him. His heart leapt into his throat from fear. Why was this mean looking person coming at him?_

" _Hey, what are you doing here?" The gruff voice asked, his hands shoved in his pockets._

 _Freed gulped. "I-I'm lost."_

" _Lost? Where are you trying to go?" The blonde asked._

 _The greenette flinched. "I don't know."_

" _How can you be lost if you don't know where you're going?" The blonde mocked. "Are you a mage?"_

 _He nodded. "I am."_

" _Do you belong to a guild?" He asked._

 _Freed tilted his head to the side. "No, why?"_

" _Then come to Fairy Tail with me." The blonde demanded. "Can't have you dying out here."_

 _He nodded and stood up. "What's your name?"_

" _Laxus Dreyar, yours?" The blonde, now known as Laxus, answered._

 _The rune mage flinched. "Freed Justine."_

" _Well let's go then, Freed."_

 _It had taken a few hours but they arrived at Fairy Tail. On the way, Laxus had continuously questioned Freed on his magic. Now as they made their way inside, he turned and said. "I brought you here to join my team. You're the second one so I'll introduce you to Bickslow once you're settled in."_

" _W-What?" Freed was in shock. "You want_ me _on your team?"_

 _Laxus regarded him with a slightly confused look."Yeah, so what?"_

" _Nothing."_

 _It made him feel good to be wanted. Most of the time he'd felt like he wasn't when he was with his father. Reginald had never praised him or showed him affection. This was all so new to him. But he didn't dislike it. It was then that he swore that he would follow Laxus for the rest of his life. Because the blonde had made him feel wanted for the first time in his life._

 **End of Flashback**

He closed his eyes, holding back tears. "I like her. I really like her."

"So why are you acting this way?" Evergreen demanded, hands on her hips with a scowl directed at him.

Freed sniffled. "Because I made a promise to myself and I never go back on my promises."

Evergreen threw her hands up in the air with annoyance. She was done. They both were beyond help. Laxus opened his mouth to say something else but then his lacrima started ringing. Answering, the weathered face of his grandfather Makarov appeared.

"What do you want old man?" Laxus asked grumpily.

The man chuckled. "Your as pleasant as ever. There's a job that needs done near where you are."

"Fine, we'll do it."

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Lucy huffed in annoyance as she continued her search for Loke. The orange haired man had somehow been evading her for the last couple of hours, and it was frustrating her. Whatever had spooked him must have been big if he was going to these lengths to hide. Walking into the dense forest, the blonde heard someone breathing. It was sharp breaths that made it apparent that the owner was in pain. Rushing in the direction her eyes widened. It was Loke.

The orange haired man was lying flat on his back, chest heaving with each breath he took. Lucy rushed to his side, placing her hand on his forehead. He was burning up! She needed to do something. Anything! Her keys started rattling against her hip. Grabbing Crux's key, she summoned him. "Open Gate of the Southern Cross, Crux!" The giant cross like spirit stared at Loki warily.

"Crux, what's going on?" Lucy asked desperately.

The spirit lowered its eyes. "That person you are trying to help is Leo, the leader of the Zodiacs."

"W-What?" She asked, eyes wide. "Where's his summoner?! He needs help!"

Crux gave her a look of pure sadness. "Unfortunately, he's beyond help."

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked, squeezing Loke's hand.

The spirit explained. "Two years ago Leo summoned himself against his master's wishes. She'd been abusing her other spirit, Aries, for quite some time and Leo had finally had enough. He forced his gate open and refused to allow her to summon any more spirits. She got tired of not being able to go on job's and tried to force Aries gate open despite not having the magical power to do so. As a result she died and Aries key was stolen. Leo was charged with his master's death and will remain in the human world until he disappears."

"You can't be serious!" Lucy hollered, angered by what she just heard. "His summoner is at fault not him!"

"You're wrong." Loke's pained voice came from beside her. "I deserve this."

Lucy shook her head. "No you don't!"

"I let Karen die and Aries was stolen by her murderer. How is that not my fault?" He asked as he sat up, eyes sad and pained, gazing at Lucy.

The blonde brought her hand up and smacked it across his face. Both Crux and Loke were shocked. "You idiot! How could you blame yourself for that? Your summoner was _abusing_ Aries and you tried to stop her! Why should you be punished for protecting your friend?!"

"Please just leave me alone Lucy." He begged.

"I won't!" She yelled, tears falling down her face. "I won't let you vanish for a crime that didn't commit!"

The world seemed to stop for a moment. The ground shook and Lucy would've fallen had Loki not caught her in his arms. Standing before them was a large spirit that wore armor and had a large mustache. The Celestial Spirit King. Both of their eyes widened as they watched him cross his arms.

"What's going on here?" The King asked, his eyes trained on both Lucy and Loki.

Lucy growled at him. "Why?! Why is he being punished for allowing his summoner to die?! She was the one who didn't understand her own limits and tried to force another gate open."

"We have rules in our world." He answered, "Laws that shall not be broken."

The blondes anger rose. "The law is wrong! Do you even care about Aries at all? She was being _abused_ and Leo was the only one who tried to help her! He did what he thought he had to to save another spirit from their master's torture!How is that a crime?!"

"..." The Celestial Spirit King was silent as he watched the fuming blonde.

Lucy yelled once more,"What would Aries want?!" Lucy's magic formed around her, her spirits appearing alongside her. "My friends have come to tell you that they want Loki to be forgiven!"

"Lucy stop!" Loke yelled with desperation. "Do you want to end up like Karen?!"

The blonde glared at him. "I will not! You're my friend too!"

Tears started falling down Loke's face as he heard the blonde's words. Even the Celestial Spirit King seemed taken back by her determination to save the zodiac spirit. All the girl's spirits disappeared as she collapsed onto her knees. She grabbed his hands in her own, squeezing tightly, afraid that if she let him go then he would really vanish.

"Maybe if my old friend thinks so.." The King stated. "Then maybe the law really is wrong."

Loke's eyes widened. "Y-You mean?"

"Leo, you are hereby pardoned of your crimes!" He bellowed out then turned to Lucy. "You're running out of favors old friend."

She gave a small smile. "I know but this was important."

A shimmering gold light appeared and something dropped into Lucy's hands. The gold gate key for Leo the lion. "Take good care of my old friend."

"I will." The world sped up once more and Lucy's body slumped forward from exhaustion.

Loke caught her in his arms, teary eyed. "What a strange girl." **uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu**

Lucy groaned as she opened her eyes. Her head pounded and her body ached all over. Where was she now? Sitting up, she observed the room. It was an infirmary; that much was obvious. Stretching, the blonde felt her bones crack and sighed. Someone cleared their throat, scaring her half to death. Turning, her eyed widened and her jaw dropped.

Standing before her was her number one idol; Mirajane Strauss. The white-haired pin up model was smiling kindly at her and she suddenly felt subconscious. _Wait_ , she thought. _Why is Mirajane Strauss here? Could I be at Fairy Tail?_

Mira must have seen the questions in her eyes because she spoke up. "Loke carried your unconscious body in here a few hours ago. He told me quite the interesting tale when he did so."

"Did he now?" She felt some amusement at the predicament.

The white haired girl gave a friendly smile. "I'm Mirajane Strauss, the bartender here at Fairy Tail. Loki said that you wanted to join and after what he told Master I think you'll fit right in here. Now, where do you want your guild mark and what color?"

She was holding up the stamp with the guild logo. Lucy reached out her right hand. "Right here in pink please."

Mirajane gently held her palm and stamped the logo down onto her right hand. When she pulled it back the blonde was smiling. "Welcome to our crazy family here at Fairy Tail, Lucy!"

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 _I had way too much fun writing Loke. xD He's like my third favorite spirit so doing this chapter had me all excited. So now we have the leader of the zodiac's joining our Lucy. I hope this gave some insight into Freed's past and why he acts the way he does towards Laxus. Next few chapters won't have as much focus on the Thunder God Tribe, but more on Lucy's adventures with the new friends that she makes._


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters_

 _So I hope everyone enjoys this next installment of Celestial Secrets. Really am surprised by how much everyone likes it so far. This could potentially be a really long story and if you didn't notice I put a little hint as to what Lucy's hiding. It's in her conversation with the Celestial Spirit King._

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Lucy couldn't help but let out a happy sigh as Mira started leading her out into the guild hall. Her dream to join Fairy Tail was finally coming true. She'd hoped that when she arrived at the guild she would've gotten to walk in on her own power but after the ordeal she went through with Loke the blonde was more than happy to start her time in Fairy Tail like this. Nothing could ruin her day. Except, possibly, the table that was coming right at her and Mirajane.

The blonde squeaked, ready to grab Mira and dodge. But before she could, a wall of ice appeared between the two girls and the table. As soon as the table hit, the wood splintered and fell down in a heap at their feet. Mira grinned. "Thanks Gray!" ' _Gray?'_ Looking in the same direction as Mira, her eyebrows shot up on her forehead. The one who saved them, the one called Gray, was standing alone a few feet away from them in just his underwear. Thanks to that, the blonde noticed just how handsome her savior was. Not Freed handsome, but definitely good looking **[Author's Note:**. **Lucy thinks Freed is the most attractive man she has ever met. That might change or it might not but yeah that's how she feels right now.]** He wore his raven hair short and a little messy. Eyes were a dark color that seemed impossible to define. His state of undress allowed her to see the black guild mark that was placed right over his heart. Finally, around his neck was a silver cross necklace.

"Hey, you must be the new girl!" The raven grinned, slowly walking over to them. "I'm Gray Fullbuster, Ice-Make mage."

Lucy couldn't help but smile as she replied. "I'm Lucy! Celestial Spirit mage."

"Celestial Spirit magic?" Gray tilted his head with some confusion. "I've never heard of it."

The blonde gave a breathy laugh at his admission. "It's a rare magic but that's mostly because it's rather weak in comparison to some other magic types."

"I don't think any magic is really weak." He scratched his head, his face flushing as he answered. "You just have to train and make it stronger."

Lucy brightened. "You're right! Oh, and not to be rude but why are you in your underwear?"

Gray's reaction was priceless. His face instantly fell as he looked down at himself. "Where the hell did my clothes go?!" Before running off, seemingly to find his discarded clothes, Gray quickly waved goodbye to Lucy. Mira giggled into the palm of her hand and the blonde tried her hardest not to let her own amusement show. Fairy Tail definitely had some interesting characters. Turning, Lucy noticed a boy with salmon pink hair standing by the board that held the job requests. His brow was furrowed in thought. This peaked the blondes curiosity so she strolled over to the board.

"I can't find it!" The boy exclaimed, holding the sides of his head and breathing a tiny stream of fire out of his mouth.

Lucy was a little shocked to see the fire but waved it off. Clearing her throat, she got his attention. "Um, I couldn't help but notice that you looked a little frustrated. Are you okay?"

"Huh? Who are you?" The pinkette asked, looking at her through slanted eyes.

The blonde gave a polite smile. "I'm Lucy, a new member of the guild."

"Luigi? What a weird name." He dismissed her with a toothy grin, turning his head back to stare at the board. "I'm Natsu Dragneel."

A vein popped in the girl's forehead. "It's Lucy you moron!"

Turning around, the blonde stalked over to the bar and sat down on one of the stools. Her teeth gnashed together as she silently cursed Natsu out in her head. She flagged down Mira for a strawberry milkshake and leaned her head on her hand to observe the guild. Not five minutes ago they had all seemed to be fighting but now everyone was sitting around laughing over drinks. She'd heard the rumors about how the members of Fairy Tail usually fought amongst themselves on a daily basis but she hadn't realized that it was actually _true_.

The stool next to her was pulled out which grabbed her attention. Natsu. She almost growled when he sat down and banged his head down against the counter top. The pinkette looked dejected and for a moment the blonde wanted to try and talk to him again. The feeling passed quickly. Sipping her drink, she turned to observe the other members of the guild. Some looked normal enough but then there were the ones that looked a little screwy. Like Gray for instance. It hadn't taken her long to realize that she had already heard of him from Bickslow one day during her time with the Thunder God Tribe. Natsu too. She'd really wanted to meet him but they hadn't gotten off on the right foot.

"Natsu," The pinkette looked up at the blonde. "What were you looking for on the job board?"

He sat up fully. "A dragon!"

"Excuse me?" Lucy asked, bewildered by the outburst.

Natsu leaned forward, face inches away from the blondes. "I was looking for the dragon that trained me!"

"You were trained by a dragon?" Lucy asked in disbelief but then shook it off. "What kind of magic do you use then?"

Natsu's grin widened. "Fire dragon slayer magic!"

"Sounds," Lucy searched for the right word. "Interesting."

The pinkette leaned onto his hand, seemingly pouting. "He vanished one day without a word. I don't know where he could be but I've been looking."

"And why were you looking at the job board?" She asked, leaning her chin onto the back of her hand.

Natsu turned to look at her and his pout seemed to deepen. "Someone told me they got information on a salamander in Hargeon town but gramps won't let me go until I find a job around there."

"No luck huh?" Lucy felt bad for the guy, although she highly doubted a dragon would be in the middle of the town. "How about we go look again?"

Natsu gave a long, suffering sigh. "I've looked over it at least ten times!"

"Never hurts to double check!"

Lucy hopped off her stool and weaved her way through the tables towards the job board. Peering carefully, she realized that Natsu was right. There was no jobs that were even close to Hargeon on the flyers. She sighed as she started turning away. From the corner of her eye, she noticed, something peeking out from the underside of another flyer. Leaning over, she pulled it out and stared down at it.

" _ **Help needed immediately! 5 Missing girls- Ann, Maria, Yuki, Zoe, and Saki.**_

 _ **Location: Hargeon Town**_

 _ **Reward: 10,000 Jewels."**_

Grinning, Lucy jogged back over to the dejected pinkette. "I found one Natsu!"

"Really?!" He swiped the flyer from the blonde's hands and skimmed over it. "Alright, now I'm all fired up!"

Lucy giggled. "You better go tell Mira and Master!"

"You're coming too!" Natsu grinned.

The blonde blinked and asked. "I am?"

"Yeah! C'mon Happy, we have a job!" Natsu yelled over his shoulder, confusing the blonde.

Her jaw dropped when she saw what was coming towards them. A small blue cat with a white belly. Around his neck was what appeared to be a hobo bindle. And the most memorable and strange thing? He was flying with two white wings on it's back. Lucy stared in shock as the blue cat flew onto the pinkette's head. The cat _waved_ at her.

"Aye! Nice to meet you Lushi!" The blonde nodded dumbly. "I'm Happy!"

The blonde smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Happy."

"Let's go!"

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A dark figure sat atop the sand dune in the middle of Rokka Lake. His black shoulder length hair slanted over one of his royal blue eyes. His lips curved up into a smirk as he stared into the water. Within the murky water he could see the image of a girl. Long blonde hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a curvy figure. Lucy Heartfilia.

"Lucy, my princess, we'll see each other again." He chuckled, his deep baritone echoing in the quiet day. "Very, very soon."

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The train ride to Hargeon town had been less than pleasant for Lucy. Finding out that Natsu couldn't handle transportation _at all_ had been a little amusing for her. It was also equally frustrating considering she had to listen to him moan and groan the entire time about how sick he felt. At one point she had been tempted to knock him out with a chop to the neck but she didn't want to have to drag him off the train once they arrived. And when they stopped, she was practically jumping for joy.

When they exited the train, Lucy looked down at the request flyer. It said that the one who requested their help would be waiting for them at the station and the place was crowded. Natsu sidled up next to her, his face pale and Happy hung off his shoulder. A man, towards the back of the station, waved his hand at the two and held up a sign that read "mages of Fairy Tail". Sweat dropping, the blonde was a little concerned about the common sense of the man. Who used a sign to flag down the people they asked to do a job? The ones responsible could see it and know they are there! Fast walking and weaving through the crowd, Lucy snatched the sign and folded it in half.

"Are you trying to give us away?" She hissed, a little more irritated because of the unpleasant trip to the town. "What if the ones responsible for the missing girls had seen that sign? They could run away and then we'd never find them!"

The man flinched and stammered out an apology. Natsu bounced over, seemingly over his motion sickness, and said. "Let's get something to eat!"

"...Fine." Lucy relented and glanced at the man in front of her. "We can talk while we eat."

He nodded wordlessly and followed the two mages out of the station. Sniffing the air, Natsu pulled the blonde along by her wrist. After a minute of walking, or dragging in Lucy's case, they arrived in front of a restaurant that looked fairly empty. The three took a seat and a booth. Quickly a waitress took their order and in no time flat, brought it out for them. As they were eating, Lucy studied the man in front of her. He was average looking, slim with sad eyes. She suspected that maybe one of the girls that vanished was someone he knew.

"Tell us the details of the job." Lucy demanded, voice stern yet also held some gentleness in it.

He nodded soundly. "About a week ago my cousin didn't come into work at our family's shop. I thought it was odd because Saki was always so dedicated to the business. I'd assumed that maybe she wasn't feeling well and closed early to go visit her home but no one answered. When I used the spare key to get inside, I found that her house was kind of messy."

"Messy how?" Lucy asked curiously.

He sighed. "Like it hadn't been cleaned in days. She's a neat freak so I know she wouldn't leave the place like that. I searched for two days but I couldn't find her anywhere. But I did find other families that said that their loved ones were missing too. I'd just sent in the request when I saw it."

"It?" The blonde narrowed her eyes.

The guy gave a small sob. "A boat was loading on the dock and I caught a glimpse of someone in one of the windows. I'm sure it was Saki!"

"How do you know it was her?" Happy asked, munching on a fish. "Couldn't it have been someone that looked like her?"

Lucy nodded. "Plus you only caught a glimpse. So why do you think it was her?"

"Saki's always had a unique fashion sense." He answered. "She'd dyed her hair recently to a dark orange and that was the color of the girl's hair that I saw! It _has_ to be her."

Lucy hummed, lost in thought for a moment. ' _He's so sure that it's her but there is a strong possibility that it's someone else and that Saki is no longer in the town. But, it's almost equally as possible that he really did see her and that that ship is where they are being held. Either way we are going to have to check out that boat.'_

The blonde cleared her throat. "Tell us where the boat is and we'll check it out."

"Thank you very much!" He exclaimed, tearfully and handed a piece of paper to Lucy. "That's the location and description of the boat. Please, please bring her back."

Lucy nodded. "We'll do our best."

"I'm getting all fired up!" Natsu exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.

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This is a lot shorter than I would've liked but I needed to get it out. So please review and tell me what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters_

 _So I'm so glad that everyone liked my kind of rushed chapter. This one however will have a little more detail and possibly a hint as to what Lucy's secret is. I gave a big clue in the last chapter with the mysterious man in the lake so hope this one is good too._

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Lucy had a bad feeling. Correction, she always had a bad feeling. But right now her danger senses were on high alert. From her black market contact she had learned a lot about the different smuggling operations that were currently happening around Fiore and this one had all the makings of sex slavery. And in a huge port town like this, it was very likely that these guys had more than one ship to transport the women they abducted. But she'd made a promise to that man, whose name was actually Takahiro, that she'd do her best to return his cousin so she was trying to keep her pessimism to herself.

Glancing over, the blonde observed her partner for this job. The salmon haired teen had this carefree grin on his face that concerned her a little. Did he even understand the delicacy of this situation? Somehow she didn't think so. She still didn't understand what had made the pinkette decide to bring her along on this job when they hadn't exactly got off on the right foot. But she was glad to be on her first official job as a Fairy Tail mage. Lifting her right hand up, she stared at the pink guildmark on her hand. Somehow it reminded her of Freed, who also had his green guildmark on his hand, but she pushed those feelings aside. He'd messed up and until he apologized she wasn't going to think about him.

A shiver went down the blonde's spine, causing her to falter. A throbbing pain shot through her temples and she froze on the spot. Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm her herself. Natsu stopped a few feet ahead of her and looked back with slight confusion. Lucy tried to give a reassuring smile but the pain was making it hard to breathe. But after a moment, it stopped.

' _This is getting harder to ignore.'_ She thought, jogging to catch up to the dragon slayer. ' _He's getting closer to me but why?'_

Shaking off her thoughts, she gave Natsu a small smile. "Sorry I was a little dizzy for a moment."

"Are you okay, Lushi?" Happy asked, flying in front of her.

The blonde nodded and answered. "Yeah it happens all the time."

Thankfully, it seemed like both her partners dropped the subject without interrogating her. She pushed aside her anxiety for a minute and observed the ships around her. The one they were looking for was quite unique according to the note that Takahiro gave them. So, with that being said, it didn't take them long until they found it. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when they stopped in front of it because truthfully it was quite tacky.

The ship was huge, like she expected, but it had many decorations on it. Banners and flags that all said "Prominence" in flashy bubble letters. There were windows on all sides of the boat and The deck was covered with tables that had flower centerpieces. They must have had an obsession with that word because it was also carved into the side of the ship. The exterior seemed well managed, almost looked new, and she suspected that in one of those rooms was all the captured woman.

"What should we do now Lushi?" Happy asked, tilting his head to stare at the blonde.

Lucy contemplated the best course of action then replied. "There's no guarantee that this is the ship that the women are in currently. If it was then it would be heavily guarded but there isn't a soul in sight. It's good that we found it but the best thing to do now is take a look around town and try to spot anyone suspicious. Tonight, if we can, we'll come back here and observe the ship."

"I say we just bust down the doors and take them down!" Natsu exclaimed, slamming his now flaming fists together.

Raising her hand, Lucy smacked the pinkette on the back of the head. "Idiot! Did you not hear a word I just said?!"

"What was that for?" Natsu glared at her, rubbing the spot she smacked.

The blonde huffed with annoyance. "What do you think would happen if we just stomped right up on the boat?"

"We'd get to beat up some bad guys?" Natsu looked confused.

Lucy face palmed and inwardly cursed at how dense he was. "What if no one was there but someone saw us? What do you think would happen to the girls they have captive? They'd move them to another ship and disappear! It'd be practically impossible to find them then!"

"Okay, okay, I get it." The pinkette looked disappointed at the fact that he wasn't going to get to fight yet.

The two Fairy Tail mages quickly left the port before they could possibly be seen by their enemy. Lucy instructed Natsu to go search for his dragon but warned him that if he caused any commotion that she would make sure he paid for it. Nodding quickly, he ran off with Happy in tow. This left the blonde alone in the huge town. Sighing, she started her own search.

Hours had passed since Lucy and Natsu had split up to look for more clues. The blonde had started off by talking with the other girls families about what had made them believe that their daughters/sisters/friends had been abducted. From what she gathered, the girls had all mysteriously gotten dressed up one night and left but never returned. The stories were too similar to be coincidences but there was nothing to base that conclusion on either. All in all, she got nothing. The blonde was about to give up her search when she heard a bunch of commotion nearby. Her interest captured, she ventured towards the noise. It was a crowd of woman surrounding a man and squealing.

"The great salamander has appeared!"

"I love you salamander-sama!"

Lucy blinked in confusion. ' _Salamander? Didn't Natsu say something about a salamander before we started the job? But that guy is definitely human so is he a fake? Or am I missing something?'_

Getting closer, the blonde observed the man. He was a fairly decent man with dark blue hair that was parted to one side. A tattoo rested above his right eyebrow. The clothes he wore were fairly flashy with the whole red pants and dark blue cloak thing he had going on. The women that were surrounding him were all gushing about how amazing he was and how much they wanted to attend one of his parties on his boat. That struck a chord with the blonde. Each girl's parents had told her that they had gotten dressed up one night and disappeared. It couldn't be a coincidence that this guy was inviting women out to parties on a boat. Narrowing her eyes, she happened to catch the movement one of one of his hands. He was wearing two rings and from the feeling she was getting she knew he was using a love charm on those girls.

' _This is no doubt the guy we are looking for. If I can get an invite to his party then I can signal to Natsu when it's time for him to move in.'_ Lucy thought, biting her lip. ' _But how do I approach him in a way that would get him to invite me to his party?'_

Taking a cue from the girls around her, Lucy unbuttoned the top of her shirt to show more of her cleavage and sauntered up. She allowed a piece of her mind to take to the charm magic that was in the air around her and joined in with the crowd of entranced women. Hearts gathering in her eyes, Lucy started gushing about how handsome he was in person. The man seemed to turn his attention mostly on the busty blonde. His dark eyes took her in from top to bottom and stopped on her face.

"My what a cute girl you are!" He stated smoothly.

Lucy giggled in embarrassment. "Thank you~!"

"How about you attend the party on my yacht tonight?" He gave a swarmly smile, making the blonde's skin crawl.

She swooned and replied. "I'd love to Salamander-sama!"

The "salamander" handed her the info for where to meet and disappeared with one last wink in her direction. She swooned, making sure he was out of sight before moving to the side and taking off down the street. Now that she had her in she just needed Natsu's help with a plan. Lucy would beat her instructions into his head if he had to but first she needed to find him. That surprisingly didn't take too long. He'd been walking dejectedly in the alley that she'd ducked into.

"Natsu!" She hollered as she ran over. "What's wrong?"

The pinkette sighed. "The Salamander that I came to see was a fake. No Igneel is sight."

"That Salamander is also our trafficker." Lucy started, feeling a bit sympathetic towards the fire dragon slayer. "If we play our cards right then you can fight him tonight."

The pinkette's mood improved drastically from that sentence alone. "Yush! I'm all fired up!"

"Okay, so here is the plan…"

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A few hours later and Lucy had slipped on a blue strapless party dress that reached down to her ankles. But knowing she would be fighting later, she'd pulled on mid thigh length tights and a strapless black sports bra underneath the dress. A firework to signal Natsu with was hidden in the right boot she was wearing and her keys were strapped to her hip with a thin black strap. Breathing in, she stepped into the entrance of the port. It didn't take her long to find the ship again and this time it was bustling with people. Gritting her teeth, she started her walk up onto the deck.

The deck was pretty much like what Lucy expected. Tables covered with eccentric center pieces. All bearing the flags that said prominence. Lights were strung along the underside of the deck, illuminating the dancefloor. Huge men were standing at either ends of the deck, malicious grins hidden behind wine glasses. Lucy's eyes shot to the side where the fake salamander was making his rounds. When he noticed the blonde he winked and sauntered over.

"Good evening my lady."

Lucy curtsied and smiled seductively. "Good evening Salamander-sama!"

"Why don't you look beautiful tonight!" He commented in his usual swarmy tone of voice.

The blonde giggled into her palm. "You flatter me!"

"Why don't we move inside for some refreshments?" He asked, twirling his ring around his finger.

Momentary panic settled in the blonde's stomach but she replied smoothly, "I'd rather stay out here. It's too beautiful of a night to be indoors, don't you agree Salamander-sama?"

"You're quite right milady!" He replied easily, his eyes darkening with what looked to annoyance. "But I have a special treat prepared indoors, just for you."

Lucy inwardly growled, knowing that if she kept refusing then he'd know something was up. "Well then let's move indoors."

Smugness flashed in the man's eyes as he turned and led the blonde towards one of the open doors. Of course, this made Lucy's original plan of the firework signal useless but she'd prepared for that as well. Her second plan, though, had to go on without a hitch. Breathing in, she relaxed and took the seat that the fake salamander gestured to. Glancing around, Lucy took in the room. It was rather large, wooden floors and blue walls. Though, she noticed, that one of the walls was a curtain that no doubt led to another large room. As they sat, he poured a glass and stood up.

"Enjoy this sparkling gem of a beverage!" He yelled enthusiastically, taking the glass and splashing the contents into the air.

Feeling the magic she used her hand to fling the enchanted drink away from her. "My my! Using sleep magic on a young lady is rude, ya know?"

"So you noticed, eh? You must be a mage then." He said, expression taking on a much more twisted look.

Lucy gave a light laugh in response. "Of course I am! My guild got a job request about some missing girls and you were the only suspicious individual in town so here I am!"

"Suspicious?" He asked, his face twisting in annoyance. "How am I suspicious?"

The blonde tilted her head to the side and gave him a smirk. "Several reasons actually. First, people only dress like you do if they want to draw attention to themselves. Second, you were using forbidden charm magic on those women in town earlier. Third, there was talk of a party on your yacht and every family with a missing daughter or sister said that they got dressed up for a party. Lastly, I know the real Salamander and you are not him."

"HahahaHAHAHA!" He laughed. "You got me, you got me! My name is Bora the prominence but even though you figured it all out milady you're not getting off this ship! We'll be arriving in Bosco in a few hours so why don't you take a nap already!"

The men from before started filing into the room, arms carrying the unconscious women from the party. The blonde smirked and reached up into the slip of her dress. Pulling out one of her keys she chanted, "Open gate of the golden bull! Taurus!" As she shouted, a cold magic circle opened and a large bull stood before the traffickers. In his hands was a large ax with the symbol for Taurus on it. The arrival of the spirit had put the men on edge, causing them to drop the no doubt drugged woman onto the floor.

"Moo! I'll protect your buxom body Lucy!" The bull shouted, smashing his ax into the side of the ship creating a large boom along with a gaping hole in the side of the ship.

Bora laughed, although it sounded a little more nervous. "You think that thing can fight all of us?"

"No, but I can." Lucy replied, getting into position. "Taurus, you know what to do!"

Swiftly removing her dress, the blonde dropped into a fighting stance. Taurus ran towards the group of guys and brought down his ax in front of them. The wind from the smash of the flat ax caused many of the men to be blown back. Lucy took that chance to kick them swifty in whatever area she could reach as she ran past. Lucy swiftly moved onto the deck and grabbed the nearest lantern. All the traffickers were distracted by the bull spirit which gave the blonde much needed time. Withdrawing the firework from her boot, she used to lantern and lit it. A green spark flew into the sky and exploded. As the sound from the explosion died down, a loud shout was heard.

"I'm all fired up!"

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Yeah this chapter wasn't the best but the next one will be the fight with Bora and the completion of the job.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters~!_

 _So a lot of people wanted more Freed but right now this story is focusing on Lucy's adventures in Fairy Tail so he won't be back until the chapters for the battle of Fairy Tail most likely. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter though!_

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A smirk formed on Lucy's face as Natsu descended on the deck of the ship. Everything was going according to her plan and now she had another job to do. Pulling another key off the ring she shouted, " **Open gate of the lion, Leo!"** A gold light encompassed the deck for a moment before revealing the slightly altered form of the Loke, aka Leo the lion spirit. It seemed that his time in the Celestial Spirit world had given him back some of his old power as the king of the zodiacs. His green jacket and jeans were now replaced with a stylish black suit that fit snuggly against his frame. The short orange hair that he had once done had grown and pointed in a way that made it look like he had cat ears atop his head. But he still wore his normal glasses.

"You called, my princess!" Loke winked at the blonde, causing her to roll her eyes.

Lucy nodded. "You see that boat right there?" Lucy pointed at a medium sized rowboat that was coming towards them. "We need to get all the unconscious women on that so that Natsu doesn't accidentally hurt them!"

"Roger that!" Dashing forward with great speed, the lion spirit used his regulus powers to knock the men guarding the unconscious women away. "Lucy, close my gate. I can force it open with my own power but you need to conserve your magic."

Following instructions, the blonde closed Leo's gate but his form only shimmered for a moment. Taurus picked up two of the unconscious women and jumped down onto the boat. Laying them down gently, he waited and allowed Lucy to close his gate. Happy flew at break neck speed towards Lucy and snatched her up as fire engulfed the spot she had once occupied. Quickly she thanked the cat for saving her and glanced in the direction the flames had come from. It was Bora. Growling, Lucy grabbed another key and let out a breath.

" **Open gate of the hydra! Hidora!"** From the silver magic circle, the large green serpent emerged.

She hissed and swung her tail around. The men around started lifting their blades to attack but were stopped by a green mist coming from the snake's mouth. As they inhaled it, the traffickers started shaking and gasping for breath. "N-No way! A poison mist!" Falling over, they all twitched and writhed from pain. Smirking, Lucy closed Hidora's gate after thanking her spirit for the help.

"Now let's get the rest of the women out of here!" Happy dropped off Lucy on the deck and she ran to where the nearest woman was then started to lift her. She'd started to wake up and was panicking. "It's alright! We are here to help you!"

The reassuring tone must have been enough because the woman quickly stopped flailing in her arms. Jumping down onto the boat, she looked back at the ship. In one of the windows, there was a woman bound and gagged trying to get someone's attention by banging against the window with her bound hands. Climbing back up onto the ship, Lucy maneuvered her way around the poisoned men and into the back room. She could hear the sounds of Natsu and Bora's fighting. Knowing she had little time left, she made haste in finding the room where the last of the women were being held.

It didn't take long but she'd quickly run into a problem. There was a padlock on the door. She toyed briefly with the idea of summoning Taurus once again but there was no guarantee that the door wouldn't fall on the captive women. Her only other options were somehow finding the key or breaking the lock. The latter seemed more effective and she yelled for Loke. The lion spirit was at her side within moments wearing that charming smile he always had on his face.

"I need you to break this lock!" Lucy demanded.

Loke blinked and asked, "Wouldn't it be easier to just break down the door?"

"No! It could fall on one of the captives!" She responded immediately.

Loke nodded and started channeling regulus into his hand. Bringing his fist back, he pushed it forward into the metal lock. Almost immediately it cracked and Lucy pulled it off. Throwing open the door, she gasped. There wasn't just a few women in the room. It was almost a dozen bound and gagged women who looked as though they'd been beaten. Anger bubbled in the pit of Lucy's stomach but she shook off the feeling and started undoing the ropes around all the women's arms and ankles.

"Can you guys stand?" Lucy asked quickly.

Most nodded and the few who didn't were helped by the rest. Making it out on deck, Lucy barely managed to push one of the women out of the way of some stray fire magic. Loke and Happy quickly started moving the captives down into the boat and once finished Lucy told the lion spirit to return to the spirit world. Taking flight with Happy, Lucy watched as the boat full of the women that were captive disappear towards the harbor.

"Natsu! Hurry up!" Lucy yelled, knowing full well that he'd been buying time for her to get the women to safety.

The shout was enough motivation for Natsu and his fists became engulfed in flames. Charging forward he punched one of the still standing traffickers and flung him into another one. Bora was starting to look like he was getting nervous. It greatly amused Lucy to see the narcissist getting what he deserved. But Natsu was destructive from what Happy had told Lucy so she grabbed one final key. Signalling Happy, the blue cat dropped Lucy into the water with a huge splash.

" **Open gate of the water bearer! Aquarius!"** Out of the water came the beautiful mermaid that any human had ever seen. Her mid back length dark blue hair was held out of her face by a gold headpiece. The symbol for aquarius was displayed on her collarbone above her rather large breasts. The tail that splashed around was the same shade of blue as her hair.

"Hi Aquarius!" Lucy gave a small smile. "I trust that Loke actually did his job and told you about my plan?"

The mermaid huffed. "Yeah, he did. So all I need to do is make a wall of water between this ship and the harbor right?"

"Yes, that's all." The blonde responded as she swam far enough away so that she wouldn't be swept up by the water spirit's magic.

Within moments a large wall of water had risen up from the harbor. It encased the ship as the sounds of the battle between Natsu and Bora continued. Placing two fingers in her mouth, Lucy blew and a sharp whistle could be heard. With the sensitive hearing he possessed, Natsu knew that was his signal that he could go all out finally. Letting out a battle cry, he charged at the trafficker.

In a desperate attempt to stop Natsu's assault, Bora yelled out. "Wait! I'm the Salamander from Fairy Tail!"

"Liar!" Natsu yelled, pulling his scarf away and turning to show his red Fairy Tail guild mark on his bicep.

Knowing it was futile to attempt to talk his way out of this, Bora geared up for one more explosive spell. Creating a massive fireball almost the size of the deck he shot it at Natsu. The approaching fire only made Natsu's grin widen. He opened his mouth and started sucking the fire in, making the onlookers pale in realization. The real Salamander of Fairy Tail was right in front of them.

"Thanks for the meal now feel the power of Fairy Tail!" Natsu shouted, body becoming engulfed in crimson flames. "Fire dragon's roar!"

The explosion of magic shook the water and harbor but thanks to the wall of water from Aquarius nothing was destroyed. Well the water did come raining down over them for a few seconds but that was about it. Happy flew down and grabbed Natsu to carry him back to the harbor. Lucy allowed Aquarius to go and started her swim back to shore. As she neared the edge of the port, something brushed along her leg. Stiffening, she looked down in time to see the dark shadow of what looked like a mermaid's tail disappearing deeper into the water behind her.

" _No way! H-He was here this entire time?!'_ Panicking, Lucy quickly swam until she could pull herself back up onto land and stiffly walked towards Natsu.

The pinkette was grinned impishly. "We did it!"

"Yeah and now the rune knights can take care of the rest." Lucy smiled, relaxing slightly but still on high alert.

Someone cleared their throat behind the mages causing them to jump slightly. It was Takahiro and he looked absolutely delighted. "You've completed the job without a hitch! Thank you so much for returning Saki along with the rest of these girls."

"It was no problem at all!" The blonde grinned, pushing her worries out of her mind. "We're just glad that these girls are safe and sound."

He smiled gratefully and held out a sack of jewels. "Here is your reward."

"Thank you," Lucy held it against her chest tightly. "We'll be taking our leave here soon."

Before they could say anything else, Lucy had grabbed Natsu and dragged him away from the harbor. Neither said a word as the blonde continued to drag the dragon slayer through town. Only when they got in front of the train station did she finally stop and turn to him.

"If you want to stay in town the rest of the night that's fine but I've got somewhere important to go." Lucy stated and then saw the slight apprehension on the pinkette's face. "I promise I'll be back at Fairy Tail by tomorrow night, all right?"

Natsu tilted his head in confusion but nodded. "Got it, Luce!"

"Well then I guess this is where we part ways for now, Natsu." Lucy stated as she turned and walked away from her partner.

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Hours had passed since Lucy had left Natsu alone in Hargeon town. Her feet ached from the walk to her new destination. Finally seeing it, she let out a long relieved sigh and jogged over. The building was old, no doubt about that, with overgrown vines covering most of the exterior and chipping wood that gave the illusion of it being abandoned. Even the inside looked as though it had been abandoned years ago. But where else would a black market dealer do their work?

Pulling the hood of her cloak up, the blonde pushed open the door and ventured inside. The creaking boards made her cringe. As did the smell of the rotting wood that the building was made of. Wrinkling her nose, she moved to the narrow hallway and into the only back room the building had. The door to the closet squealed as she opened it, giving her quite the headache. Cursing the fact that she had to do this, she removed the four thick floorboards to reveal the metal hatch. Opening it, she moved down onto the stairs before closing it once more.

The sound of her footsteps on the concrete steps was the only noise that could be heard. She could remember her first time walking down these steps and how nervous it had made her. But now she was used to it and the silence calmed her. Shaking off those memories, she stopped in front of the large metal door and pulled open the mail slot.

"Jin, it's me so open up!" She growled in annoyance.

She could hear the chuckle from inside and the unlatching of the door. It slid open slowly and the weathered face of the black market dealer, Jin Creevy, appeared. He took a step to the side and motioned for the blonde to come in. Stepping in, she closed the door behind her and locked it. Breathing in she observed the room. The space was made of concrete for durability but several curtains and drapes hung from the rafters to make the room appear less like a prison cell. Shelves lined the walls, each a different black market deal that Lucy knew better than to ask about. The floor was covered with a large rug and against the wall directly across from the door was a large oak desk with a bench sat in front for business.

"I'm guessing you're here about the poisons I asked for?" Jin asked as he moved to sit behind the desk.

Lucy nodded as she took a seat herself but then said seriously. "But there is something else as well."

"What's happened?" He asked, leaning back to stare at her.

The blonde grit her teeth a little before answering. "My last job was in a port town. I ended up in the water thanks to my plan and I felt something against my leg. It was _him_."

"Are you sure?" Jin asked, sitting up straight as he searched her face for any sign of hesitation.

Lucy nodded and replied. "I'm sure it was him. Do you have any idea where the others could be?"

"I'm afraid I still haven't gotten any information about them since the last time you were here." He sighed. "This situation is delicate and no doubt dangerous for you as well as myself. I'll pressure some of my contacts into searching harder for them."

The girl nodded and exhaled the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Thank you."

"No problem child. Now my poisons please." Jin smirked as the blonde dug around inside her bag.

Producing several bottles and vials of liquid from her bag, the blonde stood up. "You'll have to introduce me to the client who buys these but doesn't use them someday."

"He uses them but only on himself." He smirked, leaning his chin onto his hand. "He's anxious to meet the person that always gets him the most potent bottles."

Laughing, Lucy waved goodbye and exited the room. When she made her way back outside she stretched her arms above her head. Her business was taken care of and now she just needed to find a train to take her back to Magnolia. Sighing ruefully, she started her hike back to the nearest civilization.

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 _So here is where I end this! The fight with Bora more focused on Lucy using her brains to get them out of that situation unharmed so I'm sorry if your a little disappointed. I hope everyone enjoyed the introduction of the black market dealer that Lucy goes to. More hints about her secrets too~ but now you probably have a lot of questions :P Everything will get answered eventually so be patient. Review, favorite, and follow!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters_

 _So this next chapter will have friendship moments along with Levy and Lucy's first meeting 3 Hope you guys enjoy this chapter._

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Lucy didn't know what she'd expected when she returned to the guild after her meeting with Jin. But she definitely did not expect to almost get hit with a bar stool the moment she opened the doors. It was only because of her quick reflexes that she managed to duck in time. Straightening up, she glanced at the now broken stool behind her before turning back to look into the building. They were brawling just like how they were the day she joined. Despite the fact that she was annoyed by nearly getting smacked into by a bar stool she was also a little amused.

"Lucy!" The sound of Mira calling for her drew Lucy's attention.

Seeing the woman waving to her on the other side of the guild she started weaving through the crowd. It took a few minutes as she had to randomly dodge blows from the brawling mages. Only when she was next to the barmaid did she finally allow her body to relax. From her peripheral vision she saw noticed a rather short woman standing on the other side of Mira. She was definitely under five foot. A cute little bluenette with brown eyes, wearing a pair of capris and a yellow bikini top. Noticing eyes on her, the girl turned and smiled up at Lucy.

"I'm Levy McGarden!" She greeted cheerfully.

The blonde smiled and responded. "I'm the new guild member, Lucy Heartfilia!"

"Can I call you Lu-chan?" Levy asked excitedly.

Laughing, the blonde answered. "Sure!"

As soon as the word left her mouth, a loud crash brought their attention back to the brawl. In the middle of the floor was Natsu and Gray going at it in the middle of the guild hall. From Mira and Levy's worried muttering Lucy gathered that the fights between Natsu and Gray were always destructive. Moving around the counter, she snuck up behind Natsu and grabbed him by his scarf and hair. Slamming his forehead down into the nearest table, Lucy grabbed both his arms and pulled them behind his back where she leaned one knee over them. Using her right hand, she pulled her whip from her hip and flicked it towards Gray. It connected with his left shoulder and knocked him back into the table a few feet behind him. All fighting ceased as the rest of the Fairy Tail mages gawked at the display.

"S-She stopped them?!" One member stuttered.

Another mage gasped and asked. "Who is _she_?!"

"Luce! Let me up!" Natsu whined as he struggled against the blonde's hold.

Gray groaned as he got up. "Damn it Lucy! That hurt!"

"Well the two of you were going to make a mess that I'm _sure_ master doesn't want to deal with." Lucy replied, moving away from them. "So I took care of it."

Ignoring all the looks directed at her, Lucy made her way back to where Mira and Levy were standing. Both Gray and Natsu followed after the blonde with equal pouty expressions. The three sat down at the bar, on what was left of the barstools, and sat in silence. Lucy snorted in amusement when she saw the looks that the boys were giving her. Levy and Mira shared a look then turned back to grin at the blonde.

"I've never seen the two of them get taken down by anyone other than Erza or Laxus!" Levy sounded impressed.

Hearing Laxus' name caused the blonde to grit her teeth and in a steady voice she asked. "Laxus? Who's Laxus?"

"Laxus is master's grandson and one of our S-class mages." Mira said, drying a glass. "He's the leader of a team called the Thunder God Tribe. We don't see them in the guild often so you probably won't meet them for awhile."

The blonde leaned onto her palm and stared at the barmaid. "Why is that?"

"I'm not quite sure actually." She answered thoughtfully. "All of them are loners, don't really interact with anyone except each other. They weren't always like that but after the relationship between master and Laxus started to sour they all became distant."

Lucy didn't like to pry but she found herself asking. "What happened between master and Laxus?"

"No one really knows but it probably has something to do with Laxus's father and master's son." The barmaid answered sadly. "He was exiled from the guild for hurting Laxus. Gave him this lightning shaped scar through his eye. I remember the day we all came in and saw him sitting at one ot the tables with his eye wrapped in bandages. No one knew what happened until that evening when master told everyone that he'd exiled Ivan. Ever since then master has been his guardian but I think he might've resented him a little for doing that."

Lucy's eyes turned sad as she processed what Mira had just told her. It occurred to her that maybe her and Laxus weren't as different as she first thought but she wasn't ready to forgive him yet. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed that a good amount of the guild was still staring at her. While she was used to this it also made her very uncomfortable. Gray and Natsu both slinked off towards the mission board alongside Levy. Sighing, Lucy asked Mira for a strawberry milkshake.

"Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed Lucy?" Mira asked as she placed the drink in front of the blonde.

Lucy gave a small laugh. "Maybe a little."

"Luce!" "Lucy!" "Lu-chan!" Three different voices shouted.

Turning, three different mission sheets came into her field of vision. And holding them were Natsu,Gray,and Levy. Each were giving the blonde wide grins and shooting disapproving looks to each other. Sighing, she swiped them from their grasps and started reviewing them. The first, which was Natsu's, was defeating a group of bandits that were causing trouble. The second, and the one that Gray had been holding, was to locate a rare item in a rocky labyrinth. Finally, Levy's job request, was to translate ancient runes. Each had their own appeals and looking at the rewards she knew she had a clear winner.

"I think I'm going to accompany Gray this time around." Lucy stated with a smile.

The ice make mage grinned victoriously. "Then let's get going!"

"First...Gray your clothes." She sweatdropped as she watched the raven search for his discarded clothing. "Levy-chan, next time I'll go on a job with you!"

Levy's face brightened. "Okay! I'll be looking forward to it."

"What about me, Luce?" Natsu shouted, pouting.

She placed her index finger on her chin in thought. "Well we can go on another job after I get finished with Levy-chan."

"Yosh! I'm all fired up!" Natsu hollered as he ran out the door, Happy right on his heels.

Gray, having found his clothes once more, walked back up to Lucy and asked her if she was ready to go. As the two walked to the train station, Lucy couldn't help but think back on what Mira has told her about Laxus. Having a horrible father doesn't excuse behavior but she understood how it might warp his feelings a little bit. She'd been hurt once by her father too.

Flashback:

 _A young old Lucy happily ran down the hall towards her father's study. Today was the day that she was going to cheer him up. He'd been very distant since her mother's passing and while she was also very sad she wanted him to feel better. They needed to get through their grief together! Pushing open his door, she ran in and stood in front of his desk. Jude slowly lifted his head and leveled his gaze at his daughter._

" _Daddy! Let's eat dinner together like we used to!" Lucy exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "We can talk about our day and maybe you can tuck me into bed like you used to do with mom!"_

 _The blonde was so focused on this ideal image of how the night would go in her head, she didn't notice the way her father was gritting his teeth or the bulging vein in his forehead. Reaching over, Jude grabbed the handle of the antique cane that a business associate had given him and swung it at Lucy. It connected with her right cheek and sent her to the floor. The area that he'd hit was already starting to bruise as the girl's brown eyes filled with tears. Her eyes met her father's and she could see the shock in them. He'd done that in a fit of rage and before he could say anything the blonde had gotten up and ran out the door. She didn't stop running until she was outside in front of Layla's grave._

 _Laying her head down in front of it she started to sob. "Why? Why does daddy hate me now? WHY?!"_

End of Flashback

Reaching her hand up, Lucy brushed her fingertips along the spot on her right cheek where she'd been struck that day. The bruises had faded but the fear she'd felt towards her father had never subsided. It was one of the reasons she'd left home without even trying to reason with him. In the back of her mind she'd always been afraid of him retaliated like he did that day. Even now she'd never heard a word of apology or an explanation for his actions. And while she did not hate him for what he did, she could never forgive him either.

"Lucy? Oi Lucy!" Hearing Gray calling her name, she snapped back to attention. "You alright?"

She nodded and smiled sadly. "Yeah, I just remembered something from a long time ago."

Gray didn't press her for information which greatly relieved the blonde. There was no way she'd ever tell anyone in Fairy Tail what had happened to her as a child. They'd probably storm the Heartfilia mansion to teach her father a lesson! While she wasn't entirely opposed to that she also knew what kind of connections her father had and what kind of hell he could bring down upon them if they moved against him.

"You know it's been awhile since I took a job with someone." Gray stated offhandedly.

Tilting her head, she asked. "Why is that?"

"Don't know. Guess I never really felt that I could rely on anyone but myself." He answered while rubbing the back of his neck. "But you seem cool and you're better than flame brain."

' _Flame brain? Oh! He must mean Natsu.'_ Lucy thought then stated. "I've been on my own for a little more than a year now so these last couple of days have been really different."

"What have you been doing for a _year_?" He asked incredulously.

The blonde didn't miss a beat as she replied. "Training mostly. That and searching for the other zodiac keys."

"Zodiac?" The raven seemed really curious. "Oh you mean like the constellations right?"

"Yup. The zodiac are the strongest keys in the celestial spirit world and they're incredibly hard to find. My mother had some of them and passed them onto me when she died." Lucy bit her lip lightly at the mention of her mother. "The rest are scattered along the globe and my goal is to find them."

The ice make mage looked a little lost. "So how are you supposed to find them if they are scattered?"

"I have a friend who has been looking into them for a long time." Lucy answered vaguely. "He has friends all over Fiore so he's having them search too."

Gray looked impressed. "I'd like to meet this friend someday."

"Anyway, what kind of rare artifact are we looking for?" Lucy asked, deflecting the conversation away from Gin.

The ice make mage looked down at the request sheet in his hand. "Um...some kind of book I guess."

Sighing, Lucy prepared herself for the frustration that she was no doubt going to experience on this job. Maybe even more than what she experienced with Natsu on the last one. The two arrived at the entrance to the cave where they'd be searching and peered inside. It was damp and the whole thing resembled the caves described in horror stories but the two steeled their resolves and walked in. What neither noticed was the dark shadow that moved from the mouth of the cave and into the narrow crack farther down the cave. Or the way it grew the farther they got inside. They would eventually but by then it'd be too late.

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 _Yeah so this chapter was kind of short and rushed but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Review!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters_

 _So here is the next chapter and I do hope everyone loves it!_

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"So how did you even _find_ Loke?" Gray asked as he helped the blonde over a rather large crack in the ground.

Lucy smiled gratefully and answered. "He found me! I was at a diner after being on a train all night and he just came right up to me to flirt!"

"Sounds like him all right!" The raven bellowed out with a loud snort.

Almost three hours had passed since the two Fairy Tail mages had entered the cave looking for the artifact. At first, the two had been in an uncomfortable silence but after some time Lucy had decided it would be a good idea to make conversation with the ice make mage. Now they were chatting like they'd known each other for years rather than a couple days. Gray was really impressed with the blonde for being able to take down both him and Natsu. The only one who'd ever done that was Erza or Laxus! And even Erza sometimes ended up involved in the brawls because of it.

"Where did you learn hand to hand combat?" Gray asked as he observed the celestial spirit mage.

Lucy answered without missing a beat, "One of my spirits taught me."

Gray accepted the answer but somehow he felt as though it had been rehearsed. It wasn't that he didn't believe her but he wondered why she didn't specify _which_ spirit had taught her. Before he could question her, they heard the sound of what seemed to be a crash in one of the tunnels up ahead. The raven was about to go investigate when Lucy grabbed his arm and shook her head no. It seemed like she knew more about what was going on than he did and somehow that wasn't very comforting. Reaching onto her key ring, she pulled off one of the zodiac gate keys.

"Open gate of the lion, Leo!" She whispered as she held out the key.

A golden light engulfed the two before it dimmed and a orange haired man was standing in front of them. Gray's jaw dropped when he took in the appearance of his former guild mate. The fact that he'd seen him a few days before and he looked ten times more different than he had then. His green jacket had been replaced with a suit and the close shaved hair had grown out into a fluffy mane with strands of hair sticking up in a fashion reminiscent of ears. How could someone change this much in three days?

"Oh my princess!" Loke swooned as he wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Gray, I see you've garnered my princess's attention for the day!"

Gray was a little confused. "Princess?"

"It's just a nickname." Lucy stated with a smile. "It's infinitely better than being called master."

The lion spirit cleared his throat. "My princess, what would you like me to do?"

"There was a suspicious sound up ahead, I'd like you to check it out." Lucy instructed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Loke gently kissed the blonde's hand before running off in the direction that the sound had come from. Gray was a little annoyed that he couldn't go fight whatever was up ahead but he knew that the blonde was just trying to keep them both out of danger. After all, their job was to locate this book not fight some creature inside of the rocky labyrinth. The two decided to separate and go into the two other tunnels to search. Gray was primarily a fighter so he wasn't worried about any attacks and Lucy had her spirits in case of emergencies. Neither really payed much thought to Loke or if he had found anything where the crash had came from.

The farther she walked, the darker the cave became. Lucy was in no way afraid of the dark but it was becoming a lot harder to see her own feet. This caused her sandal to catch on what seemed to be another large crack in the cave floor. Tumbling, her knees impacted the floor and pain shot up through her body. After a moment she was able to move again and stood up to continue her search. There was the feeling of something dripping down her legs and it didn't take long to figure out that it was blood.

"Damn it!" She cursed as she started sifting through her bag for some bandages.

After a few minutes of looking through her bag she realized that they were gone. Cursing, she kneeled down to try and search for the bandages. The search proved fruitless though and the feeling of the blood soaking into her knee socks was making her extremely uncomfortable. But she continued her walk deeper and deeper into the darkness. But once again, she tripped over her own two feet. This time she fell into some kind of crack and fell down.

All the breath in Lucy's body was knocked out of her the moment she hit the floor. Luckily she hadn't fallen as far as she originally thought judging by how little pain she felt in her extremities. But it took a moment for her to regain her normal breathing and when she did she stood up. Looking around, she realized that sitting in the middle of the little cavern was a pedestal. And on that pedestal was, you guessed it, the book they were searching for. Too Lucy, this felt way too easy so as she approached she kept her eyes peeled for danger.

As her hand brushed the binding of the book, she was thrown back against the wall by a sonic boom. A pained groan escaped her mouth as she slid down onto her bottom. Her eyes slowly opened and she blinked away the blurriness. Brown eyes met steel gray as the winged creature descended to stand in front of the book. The appearance of the creature was more like a human if not for the pair of large velvety wings on it's back. Keeping her eyes on it, she used the wall to help her stand.

"Human!" It yelled with a deep baritone. "Leave before you really get hurt."

Lucy hissed in pain as she finally got herself upright. "I can't!"

"Oh? Tell me why that is." The obviously male creature crossed his arms back over his chest as he asked this. "Do you have a death wish?"

The blonde, despite the situation, snorted with amusement. "Some say I do but that's not why I'm here!"

"This book is very rare and important." He stated as he flexed his wings. "It won't do any good in the hands of a silly little girl."

Lucy felt an angry twitch start to form when she heard his words. It wasn't the first time she'd heard such words from an opponent before a battle. Although in the past she eagerly beat up all the guys that dared to insult her in such a way. Now, she guessed, it was this man's turn to feel her wrath. Pulling her whip from her hip, she flicked it towards the creature. But he moved to the side, holding the book in his arms, as the whip came down on the pedestal that was once behind him. It crumbled from the force of the blow and the blonde tsked with annoyance.

"You cannot beat me with such simple attacks, human." Came the arrogant statement.

Lucy snarled. "I _will_ beat you if it's the last thing I do!"

"So be it then."

Setting the book at his feet, he lifted both hands and then smacked them together. The blonde's eyes widened when the area around her started crumbling. Sound magic. It was the only explanation and it meant the blonde was doomed. Rocks fell from above and Lucy knew she was going to be crushed. Closing her eyes, she waited for darkness but it never came. Her eyes snapped open when she realized she was underneath an ice barricade. Gray! A smile lit up her features as she saw the now shirtless mage come into her field of vision.

"Gray, what happened to your clothes?" She asked.

The raven let out a sheepish laugh. "Lost them somewhere in the tunnels."

"Of course you did!" Lucy let out an amused snort.

The man hissed. "More humans to deal with."

"Not just humans." Lucy muttered with a smirk.

At that moment, Loke ran in from behind and slammed his fist into the side of their opponents face. It wasn't just a regular punch either. It had been a regulus infused punch that sent the winged man flying to the side and released the book from his hands. Gray, using his ice make, created a slide for the book to fall onto and it came skidding back over to them. Lucy smirked as she picked it up but noticed there was something stuck between the pages. Opening to the page she gasped with surprise. There, in between the pages, was the silver gate key belonging to the bat spirit Komaru. Her eyes widened and she held the key up.

"You're a celestial spirit?"

Komaru growled and flexed his fingers. "Give those back you stupid human!"

"If you're a spirit then where is your summoner?" Lucy asked gently, hoping to keep him from attacking. "Unless you're a free spirit."

The bat spirit grit his teeth as he answered, "My _summoner_ was the one who left me in this cave."

"What?" She looked sad. "Why would they do that?"

Komaru was silent for a moment before he replied. "My summoner was abusive to all his spirits. More so towards us when we lost in fights. Finally, he decided to abandon all his keys in locations such as these where no one would ever find them."

"That's disgusting!" Lucy snarled. "How could someone do that to a _living_ creature?!"

Komaru seemed to consider her words. "You're a summoner but you don't seem to treat your keys as tools for battle"

"I would never!" She sounded offended by the notion. "They're my _friends_ not my shields."

The bat seemed to consider her words. "You are a strange human but I don't feel any deceit in your words. Tell me human, why do you want that book?"

"Well, we got a job to retrieve it." Lucy answered, feeling confused. "Why were you so against us getting it?"

Komura motioned her forward and when she was directly toe to toe with the spirit he made a motion for the book to be handed to him. Hesitantly, she allowed him to take it. "This book holds knowledge of spells that are far too destructive to be in the hands of anyone of impure heart. One of these could level this labyrinth. Who requested this book be recovered?"

"We don't know who it was, just where we were supposed to meet him when we got it." She answered.

She watched as he glared at the floor. "Someone is planning on using these spells to cause destruction and I cannot allow that so you will take me to this meeting place."

"I will." Lucy stated as she took the book back from him and placed it in her bag. "Let's go then."

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 _So here is where I end this chapter. We're gonna learn more about what is going on and this will have a connection to something more which will be explained next chapter! Review please!_


	10. Note

_**I've been having writer's block again so I do hope you guys will bare with me. This chapter is a real big turning point and writing it is gonna take me awhile. Plus I've been doing some writing for the CoLu week prompts which might end up being posted sometime in the next month(very late I know but writer's block sucks). My other stories are slowly being worked on so I hope ya'll will be patient with me.**_

 _ **~Kairi-kun**_


	11. Authors Note

**Hi guys! Thanks for reading my stories and I am so so sorry that I haven't updated in awhile :/ This is a little personal but I'm actually on antidepressants and they kind of stifle the creative energy that I use to write. Currently I'm attempting to adjust so I can write more but that is why there hasn't been any updates in forever. But I haven't given up on these stories :D Thanks as always and Happy Valentine's Day!**


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